Chapter 4: Fear

Okay, this chapter is late because it took an extra long time to edit due to the need not only for cleaning up certain bits, but also to make the characters and their interactions more natural and organic.  It's also pretty long, so be prepared.  I should also note that the chapters may slow down a little bit over the next three weeks.  I will still try to deliver at least one chapter a week and, failing that, some extra bits, but...bear with me, people.  Now, without further ado, 

Chapter 4: Fear

            A chill in the air jolted Mina awake.  Save for a soft piece of cloth covering her from the waist down, she was naked to the world and goose bumps blossomed on her skin like flowers in the midst of springtime.  She could feel a damp cloth over her eyes and despite the cold, the fourteen year old girl was drenched in sweat.  Though she had wanted to scream from the moment she had awoken, Mina had been uncomfortably aware of her mouth being wedged open by something cold and slimy that filled her cheeks and continued down her throat.  Weakly tossing her head left and right, Mina tried to spit the sickeningly cold substance out of her mouth, but her tongue was pressed against the floor of her mouth and save for a few panicked mewlings, she was unable to make a sound.

            As if in response to her fear, a warm fluid coursed into her neck.  Mina felt her body relax and her heartbeat slowed, despite the growing awareness that she could not speak, see, or move.  Listening carefully, Mina could discern two voices around her, muttering unintelligibly.  Save for them, it was quiet.  The voices she had heard in her head before falling unconscious were silent and the pressure on her body had almost eased up entirely.

            After a little experimentation, Mina found that she could move her arms, but they were numb and did not want to cooperate with her.  Lifting them as best as she could, Mina tried to cover her breasts, only to feel warm hands take her arms gingerly by the wrists and place them back at her side before pulling the cloth up to her neck.

            “Aeom, ai tink she isth wakin uup.”  A delicate female voice grunted, sounding as if the speaker had something crammed in her mouth as well.

            Mina blinked as the damp cloth was pulled away from her eyes.  Though the light in the room was dim, she had to scrunch her eyes shut and open them gradually to adjust to it.  “Ugh…” Mina let out a frail groan.  Tears fell unbidden from her eyes.

“Shh…is aight.  Ur sav,” the female voice murmured.  It no longer sounded delicate, but strong and matronly.  The same warm hands from before touched her cheeks and wiped away her tears.

When her eyes finally adjusted, Mina saw two torches hung on the wooden wall of the hollow tree, shedding a soft glow onto the polished wood, even though outside the windows there was only darkness.  Turning her head to the right, she saw that she was still lying atop the wooden table she’d been placed on before she had fallen unconscious.

            A soft, silvery glow grabbed Mina’s attention and she glanced down at her chest.  Her heart nearly exploded when she saw something silver and ethereal passing beyond her lips.  A pair of skeletal hands slid into the ethereal mass and began to dig around.  As they did, Mina began to shiver uncontrollably.          

            “Uh-uh!” she grunted, shaking her head.  “UH-UH!”

             “Kinana, calm her,” Aeon murmured without turning to face her.

Suddenly, Mina felt more warmth coursing into her neck.  Her eyes relaxed and looked to her left, where a thin black tail had pierced the skin of her neck and was pumping something into her.

“Ish okay…Aeom ish elpin yu,” the distorted voice mumbled. 

The black tail ran off the table and led back to a woman standing next to her, with skin far bronzer than Celine’s, tucking a cloth blanket under Mina’s arms.  Looking closely, Mina noticed that only a few tiny scraps of black leather covered her curvaceous body, wide hips, and ample bosom, while a pair of black, leathery wings jutted out of her back.  She had long violet hair, horns that protruded out of her forehead, and a mischievous smirk that stayed on her lips even though her mouth hung open.  Then, Mina saw it.  The silvery wisp that was coming out of her mouth was held in place by an exceedingly long forked tongue that wrapped around it and fed back into the bronze woman’s mouth.

At the sight of the long tongue, Mina felt her stomach begin to churn.  Hot vomit started to rise in her throat.  She wanted to thrash about, but the warm fluid from the black tail invaded her neck once again and her stomach quieted itself.  Sensing Mina’s fear, the violet haired woman met her gaze with a pair of bright golden eyes.  Tenderly, she stroked Mina’s cheeks with her long purple nails.

 “Ow muc ronger?” the woman glanced back at Aeon, whose hands were still sifting through the silvery wisp.

“Hmm…” Aeon looked down at Mina, his eyes smoldering with green flames.  “There is still more to do, but for now, we should stop,” he said, pulling a tiny glob of green slime out of the silvery substance and tossing it into a tray next to Mina.  “You may release her, Kinana.”

The woman named Kinana gave Mina’s hand a squeeze before unraveling her tongue from the silver mass.  Gingerly, she lowered it back into Mina’s mouth.  When the mass was all the way inside Mina’s mouth, Kinana’s tongue released it completely.  Mina swallowed hard, as if she had just been fed a fistful of mud, however once the silvery mass had passed beyond her throat, she felt warmth course back into her numb limbs.  With a groan, Mina wrapped the thin woolen blanket around her and tried to rise.

 “Do not try to sit up.  You have gone through a great deal of shock.  Even with Kinana’s assistance, your body is weary.  You require more rest,” Aeon whispered, gently pushing Mina back down.  Barely able to keep herself up to begin with, Mina did not argue with the lich.

“Wh-what’s happened to me?” she mumbled, straining to keep her eyes open as all the blood in her body seemed to rush to her head.  “Why are you…helping me?”

“You would do well to not judge all liches as wicked,” Aeon muttered, resting his spine against the back of a wooden chair next to the table.  “As for what’s happened to you…that may take some time,” the lich sighed.

Glancing from Kinana’s tail to Aeon, Mina felt her heartbeat quicken.  “Wha-what have you done to me?” she stuttered.

“You have been sedated while I was operating on you,” Aeon patiently replied, while Kinana moved over to his side and took a seat on the arm of his chair.  As she did so, Mina felt more warm fluid pumping into her neck and her heartbeat slowed. “When you are able to walk, I can take you to your friends.  They are quite worried.”

“C-celi and Daryl?” Mina croaked.  “They’re here?”

“Hmm?  Do we have more guests?” Kinana glanced down at Aeon before throwing her arms around the grim figure and giggling.  “I wonder if they’re as cute as this little treasure,” she winked at Mina.

“Kinana, please,” Aeon muttered.  Turning back to Mina, he added, “Yes.  Your friends are waiting for you outside.”

Groaning to herself, Mina rubbed her eyes.  “What happened to me?  Why did I-?” Mina’s eyes grew wide as she drank in the sight of the lich sitting before her.  Her heartbeat quickened and she began breathing hard.  Even though more warm fluid was pumped into her neck, she opened her mouth to scream.  The flames in Aeon’s eyeless sockets flashed for a moment and before Mina could cry out, a band of ice formed around her lips.

“My apologies, but time is short and I do not wish to explain your hysterics to the others,” the lich muttered.  “To answer your question, you fell into a batch of soul satchern when you were in my lab.  It is a parasitic apocra that feeds off of Leyline energy by entrapping and preserving a living body and soul, then using them as a conduit for the Leyline.  It saw you as a source of food and tried to engulf you.  Do you understand?” Aeon asked Mina.

The ice that had gagged her melted away and Mina felt warm blood coursing back into her lips.  Shifting her gaze from Aeon’s cold demeanor to Kinana’s smiling face, Mina nodded.  “I…I think I understand.  Is that why I heard someone’s voice in my sleep?”

“Yes,” Aeon nodded.  “There was another soul being preserved in the soul satchern.  When it swallowed you, the satchern attempted to merge your souls within itself to increase the amount of Leyline energy it could draw upon.  Coming in direct contact with another soul put your body into shock and threatened to destroy your mind.”

“I-I see,” Mina lowered her eyes, “So I was just food to it.”

Glancing over at Kinana’s tail, she took a deep breath and tried to pull it lose.  The barbs in the tail held firm to her neck and Mina’s arms fell to her sides after a moment of pulling.  Aeon looked on passively while Kinana furrowed her brow in concern.

“What’s wrong?” Kinana murmured, releasing her hold on Aeon and floating over to Mina with a flap of her wings.  “Are you ill?”

Color flushed Mina’s face and a tear trickled out of her eye.  “P-please, can you remove this?” Mina tugged at the tail.  “I…I don’t like feeling so…helpless.”

“I’m giving you my life essence,” Kinana retorted.  “It will ease your pain and reinforce your strength.  Your body’s in bad shape after-”

“Let her try, Kinana,” Aeon interjected.

With a sigh, Kinana pulled her tail from Mina’s neck and the fourteen year old girl felt at the spot where it had been.  There was no puncture mark and no bleeding.  No sooner had the tail been removed than Mina’s heart began to beat faster and her breathing grew shallow and haggard.  Kinana raised her tail to Mina’s neck again, but she shook her head, swatting it away.

  “I-I’m alright,” she panted, gulping in air.  “Please, just give me a minute!”  Kinana lowered her tail at a nod from Aeon, but stayed close to Mina.  With her hand pressed to her heart, Mina glanced up at Aeon.  “Who…who are you really?” she panted, trying to get her breathing under control.  “You’re not like the other one.  You…you saved me, but why?”

“You ask why would I save you?” Aeon rested his chin on his bony knuckles.  “A better question is why would I not?  It was my fault that you were stranded here and the fault of my subordinate that you were in my laboratory.”

“Even so…” Mina mumbled.  She tried to swing her legs off the table, but lost her balance and nearly fell off.  Aeon flicked his finger at her, and branches sprang out of the wooden table to catch Mina.  Kinana lifted her off the branches and sat her down on the table.  Mina leaned into her arms and lowered her eyes.  “Even so,” she repeated, “You didn’t have to.  It was my own damn fault…I heard you talking with that teythen and I…I shouldn’t have been so scared.  I should have trusted you.”

“I know you fear me, Minava,” Aeon said, floating out of his chair, “However that is of no concern to me.  You were in danger and needed help only I could give.  Do I need any other reasons to save you?” his words were delivered with a warmth that belied his fearful appearance. 

A knock on the door of the hollow tree drew their attention.  “Hey, is it safe ta come in, chief?”

“You may enter, Yuka,” Aeon replied.

No sooner had he spoken than the door was thrown open and Celine forced her way in.  “Where is she?!” the tan skinned girl growled in Aeon’s face.  “She’d better be alright!  We were told she was sick and that only you could help her, but it’s been too long and I-!”

“Celi?!” Mina exclaimed, a smile bursting onto her lips

Turning away from Aeon, Celine gaped at Mina.  A few solitary tears ran down her cheeks as she stumbled over to the emerald haired girl and wrapped her arms around Mina’s shoulders.  Closing her eyes, Mina leaned against Celine’s chest and let out a sigh of relief.

“Hehe, guess that makes it all worthwhile, eh?” Looking over Celine’s shoulder, Mina saw Yuka next to the door, wearing a sleeveless white tunic and a leather smock with matching work pants.  “Half thought she’d tear up the forest ta find ya,” she snickered and waved at Mina.

“Will she be alright, Aeon?” Both Mina and Celine turned their heads when they saw Gadius step inside.

“The surgery was a success,” Aeon replied, “She will be fine.”

Ambling over to her side, Gadius gave Mina and Celine a curt bow before ruffling Mina’s hair.  “Glad to see you up and about.  You gave me quite a scare when you and Aeon popped out of thin air inside my home.”

“I…I’m sorry,” Mina hung her head.

“Relax, I’m just glad you’re okay.  Everyone is,” Gadius laughed, “And with good reason.  Twould be a shame for such a lovely lady to meet her end while still in the springtime of youth,” he took Mina’s hand and kissed it delicately.

“Ain’t she a bit young for ya, Gadius?” Yuka snorted, “At least give her till she’s fully grown before ya start hittin on her.”

Kinana batted Gadius’s lips away from Mina’s hand and scowled at the jela-vey.  “I agree.  She’s too much of a treasure for you.”

“For any of you,” Celine hissed, squeezing Mina tighter.

Yuka rolled her eyes while Gadius smirked at the two girls.  Kinana, however, looked hurt by Celine’s words.  Floating over to Aeon’s side, she leaned into him while scowling at Celine.  The lich patted her hand and gave her shoulder an affectionate nibble with his lipless mouth.  She suppressed a giggle and twisted her tongue into Aeon’s empty eye socket.

            “Celi…where’s Daryl?” Mina broke from her friend’s embrace and looked her straight in the eyes.  “Is she-”

“Tcch,” Celine grunted, “She was waiting with me until Nerise started talking about magic.  The damned fool got so engrossed in her discussion that she forgot about us.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” Gadius shrugged.  “She seems like a sweet girl who’s only trying to make the best of a bad situation.”

            “That…sounds about right,” Mina sighed and managed a weak smile.

            “Yuka,” Aeon interjected, folding his hands behind his back, “I gave instructions not to be interrupted unless it was ready.”

 “Oh, right!” Yuka snapped her fingers.  “One sec!”  She dashed outside and returned less than a minute later holding a leather dress.  It was darker than Celine’s and seemed to be stitched together from several different pieces of leather.  “Dakon didn’t have a big enough piece of leather, so Echidna had ta stitch a few together.  Did a pretty good job of it too.  Hope it fits her.”

“We shall see,” Aeon replied.  “Lay it down on the table.  Now, I must ask that the rest of you leave us for a moment.  I must speak with Minava in private.”

“I’m not leaving her again!” Celine grabbed Mina’s hand and narrowed her eyes at Aeon.

“I’ll be fine, Celi,” Mina mumbled, squeezing her friend’s hand.  “If he didn’t hurt me while I was unconscious, why would he now?”

“I…but…” Celine stammered.  “Ugh, fine…but I’ll be listening in!  If you hurt her-”

“I will not,” Aeon cut her off.  Celine gave him a curt nod and reluctantly let go of Mina’s hand.  After dropping off the dress, Yuka followed Gadius and Celine outside and they closed the door behind them.

Forcing herself to look in Aeon’s direction, Mina felt her body involuntarily shudder.  “So…what did you need to say?” she asked.

“Dress yourself first,” Aeon retorted.

“Here, I’ll help,” Kinana said.  Grabbing the leather dress Yuka had left on the wood table, she walked over to Mina and handed it to her.  Then, taking the blanket Mina had wrapped herself in, Kinana held it up between Mina and Aeon, like a screen.

Glancing from the dress to Kinana, Mina blushed and quickly shoved the dress over her head.  Though it was a little too big for her, the leather was soft and warm, almost like a fur coat.  When she had finished dressing, she jumped off the table where she had been sitting.  Once her legs touched the wood floor, however, they gave out and Mina nearly fell over.  Kinana dropped the blanket and grabbed Mina to hold her up, getting tangled in the blanket as she did so.

“Thank you, Miss…” Mina stopped and suppressed a giggle when she saw that the blanket was caught on Kinana’s horns and one of her wings.  “Let me get that for you, Miss Kinana,” she smiled, unhooking the blanket from her head.

“You okay?” Kinana asked, steadying Mina with her tail and allowing her to grasp her hand to stay upright.

“Yeah, just…a bit tired is all,” Mina said.

“That will pass, in time,” Aeon broke in.  Another shiver went down Mina’s spine as he drew near and she hid behind Kinana.  “However, I fear we are not done with your surgery yet.”

“Wh-what do you mean?” Mina asked.

“The surgery for detaching a soul satchern from its host is complex,” Aeon replied.  “It involves cleansing the soul satchern from your physical body as well as removing any taint it may have left on your soul.  And souls are difficult to sift through, even for a lich.  I fear we have not removed all the soul satchern within you.”

For a moment, there was silence between the three of them.  Mina lowered her eyes and crept further behind Kinana.  “Are you going to force me to stay here?” she squeaked.

“Of course not,” Kinana stroked Mina’s hair.  Her hands were hesitant and her voice contained a hint of sadness.  “No one’s going to make you stay.”

“However, you must return to us within five days time,” Aeon added, “To finish the treatment.”

“And…” Mina shrank from Aeon’s gaze, her heart thumping in her chest, “What if I don’t?”

“Then you will suffer complications,” Aeon murmured, folding his hands behind his back.

“You mean…I’ll get sick?”

“Correct,” Aeon nodded.  “Should complications occur, your body will waste away and your wits will leave you.  Your body is only meant to house your own soul.  If the satchern containing Lucia’s soul is not removed completely, your body and soul will start to reject each other.”

Mina’s eyes widened and her heart pounded loud enough that she could hear it.  She gulped down air in quick shallow breaths and felt her eyes tearing up.

“Aeon!  You’re scaring her!” Kinana snapped.  Kneeling down next to Mina, Kinana put her arms around the girl and held her close.  Her warmth reassured Mina and she calmed down somewhat.

“She has a right to know, Kinana,” Aeon said.  “If she chooses not to return, then she should know what awaits her.”

 “Is…is that why I had to have a change of clothes?” Sniffing back tears, Mina looked down at her new leather dress.  “Is that stuff really so dangerous?”

“It is,” Aeon said.

“We had to burn your old dress,” Kinana added, lowering her eyes.  “On the bright side, your body isn’t scarred at all.  And what a cute body it is,” she rubbed her cheek against Mina’s.

Mina’s face exploded into a bright red and she pulled away from Kinana so fast that she stumbled and fell backwards.  “Wh-what?!” she exclaimed.

“Oops,” Kinana stuck out her tongue and laughed, “That probably sounded dirty.  Sorry.  It’s just in my nature, I guess.  I am a succubus, after all.”

“A…what?”

“It is a type of Goetian with the ability to draw the souls out of other beings and feed on their sexual desires,” Aeon bluntly replied.  “Without this ability, it would have taken several days rather than several hours to treat you.”

“O-oh…ummm…th-thank you then, Miss Kinana,” Mina stammered, her face still burning red.

“Isn’t she cute?” Kinana laughed before kneeling down and helping Mina to her feet.  “You’re so polite, little Minava.”

“Please…just call me Mina, Miss Kinana,” Mina blushed at the succubi’s touch, but did not pull away.  “So…it looks like I don’t have a choice, do I?” she balled her hands into fists and kept her eyes on the floor, unable to look Aeon in the face.

“We all have a choice, Minava,” Aeon said.  “However, you only have five days before your condition worsens.  By then, you must decide for yourself what you fear more.  Me…or death.”

“I…I can’t stay here though!  I need to go back to my uncle’s inn.  He’s probably worried sick about me!”

“Agreed.  It would be wise if you returned home for now,” Aeon lowered himself to the floor and raised her chin with his skeletal finger so that she was looking directly into his eye sockets, which were filled with green flames.  “Minava.  I give you my word that for the next five days my comrades and I will wait outside of Gesthal for you.  However, if we do this, I want your promise that you will not turn us over to the clergy or the border guards.”

As Mina stared into Aeon’s eye sockets, she felt a cold chill run down her spine and began to tremble, but she did not look away.  “I…I suppose we owe you that much,” she mumbled.  “I…I promise.  Just…please don’t hurt anyone.”

“Of course,” Aeon released her and floated back into the air.  “That was never my intention.”

Dropping her eyes to the floor, Mina struggled to keep her heartbeat steady.  There was a squeeze on her shoulder and Kinana whispered in Mina’s ear, “He may look grim, but you can count on him.  You don’t need to be scared.”

“R-right,” Mina said.  She stepped forward without Kinana’s help, and though her legs trembled, she faced the lich.  “I…ummm…Aeon, right?” The lich gave her a curt nod.  “Well…I…ummm…I mean, I’m grateful, for-”

“Gesthal draws near,” Aeon said, without acknowledging Mina’s words.  He floated over to the hollow tree’s wooden door and pulled it open.  “Kinana, I leave her in your care.  Collect her friends and come to the exit to Acacia.  I will be waiting there for you.”

“And what will you be doing in the meantime?” Kinana called back.

“I must speak with Raschid about his…prank…on our guest,” Aeon hissed.  Mina saw his eyes flicker with brilliant green fire before he passed through the door and disappeared.

Only when Aeon had departed did Mina’s trembling cease.  She dropped to the floor, clutching her heart and Kinana was next to her in an instant.

“He really does scare you, doesn’t he?” the succubus whispered sadly.

Averting her gaze from Kinana’s golden eyes, Mina merely replied, “I’ve seen what his kind can do, Miss Kinana.”

“So have I, little Mina,” Kinana said as she helped Mina to her feet.  “So have I.”

Save for the stars above and two small bonfires, it was dark outside when they finally emerged from the tree.  With what little light she had, Mina was able to make out that they were on the edge of a huge field, filled to the brim with exotic plants, curious fruits, malformed vegetables.  The whole area was part of a large clearing, with trees surrounding them on all sides.  Turning her gaze skyward, Mina saw the stars and clouds pass over them quickly, even though the ground she stood on seemed relatively stable.

“We’re…in the forest, right?” Mina whispered, her eyes wide with wonder.  “The one I saw when I first entered Acacia?”

“Yep.  Well, to be specific, this is Gadius’s garden.  The others gathered here to wait for you, so let’s go find your friends,” Kinana said, pulling Mina along.

Falling into step behind her, Mina squeezed Kinana’s hand and her own was squeezed in return.  The Goetian looked down at her and winked.  Feeling her breathing steady, Mina smiled at Kinana.  “Ummm…Miss Kinana…are you and Aeon…married?”

A lusty laugh burst out of Kinana’s throat.  “Married?!  Me?!  Haha, no, little Mina.  I’m merely bound to Aeon through a Goetian contract.  Though…I suppose you could call it marriage of a sort,” she put her hand over her heart and let out a whimsical sigh.  “Aeon called upon me for the pleasures of my body…but he ended up teaching me of the pleasures of the heart.”

Feeling her cheeks burning, Mina lowered her eyes and fell silent.

“I’d never betray him,” Kinana whispered, lifting her hand up to Mina’s cheek and rubbing it against her skin.  “But you are a treasure…maybe I should…”

Mina pulled away and fell onto the grass with a squeal of surprise.  Her face looked as though she’d swallowed an entire mouthful of Hamelin pepper.

“Oh, relax,” Kinana laughed, reaching down and scooping Mina up before depositing her back on her feet.  “I’m just teasing you.  I thought…a little levity might be in order.  After all, you’ve been through a lot.”  When Mina looked up at Kinana’s face it glowed with warmth and a smile played upon her lips.

Mina’s heart sank and she felt a tear come to her eye, but she blinked it back.  “Miss Kinana…please, forgive me,” she whispered, “You and Aeon have been very kind to me, but-”

“Pfft, me more than Aeon,” Kinana snorted.  “I may love the man, but he’s not one to mince words.  Anyway, don’t let it trouble you.  It’s only natural to be a little scared.”

A smile came to Mina’s face and she took Kinana’s hand for support as they approached the first bonfire.  The firelight illuminated Echidna’s massive form.  She cradled something in her arms and held it up to one of her breasts, which had been pulled out of her tunic.  Seated next to her were the purple skinned Dakon and bronze skinned Celine, laughing and talking together.  On the other side of the bonfire was Yuka, sharpening her wrist mounted blade on a whetstone.

“Oi!  Mina!  Kinana!” the neeg jumped to her feet and walked over to them.  “Good ta see that you’re up and about,” Yuka smirked and clapped Mina on the back so hard she nearly fell over.  “I was right.  Dress fits ya like a dream, don’t it?”

“Haha, yes, Miss...Yuka, was it?” Mina laughed nervously, rubbing her sore back.

“Not miss, thank ya kindly.  Just Yuka,” the neeg smiled at her with pristine white teeth, “I ain’t no lady, so no need for fluff.”

“Mina…” Mina, Kinana, and Yuka turned and saw Celine get up and amble over to them.  When the glow of the flames touched Celine’s face, Mina saw that she was scowling at Yuka.  “Can you leave us, for a few moments, Yuka?”

“Ah, so ya know my name now, eh?” Yuka snorted.  “Sure.  Whatever,” she shrugged.

“Miss…I mean, Yuka,” Mina stammered, glancing from Celine to the neeg woman.  “I’m sorry about this.  It’s just that-”

“Ah, forget about it,” Yuka shook her head, “No big deal.  Anyway, thanks for pullin me outta that tree,” she nodded at Celine.  “Never thought I’d fall so far from uncle Merkel’s tower…”

“Ummm…and thank you for helping us in the forest,” Mina quickly added, taking Yuka’s hand and giving it a shake.

The neeg looked down at her hand and grinned.  “Ah, I didn’t do much.  You’re welcome, though.”  Whistling as she walked, the green skinned woman brushed past Celine and disappeared into the forest.

Steadying Mina with her tail, Kinana frowned at Celine.  “You’ve been a bit harsh with her, don’t you think?  Yuka’s a good girl.  Why-”

“It’s none of your business,” Celine spat.  “And why are you clinging to Mina like that?  The surgery’s over, isn’t it?!”

“It’s okay, Celi,” Mina mumbled, “I’m still a little sick so Miss Kinana is helping me.”

Celine scowled at Kinana, who returned her scowl with an impassive stare.  A purple hand on Celine’s shoulder made her jump and she turned around to see Dakon and Echidna behind her.

“You can relax.  She might look like trouble, but Kinana’s very kind,” Dakon said.  “She won’t hurt your sister.”

“Sister?” Kinana glanced down at Mina, then back up at Celine.  “You two sure don’t look alike.”

“Sisters by adoption,” Celine said, kneeling down next to Mina.  “You alright?  That lich didn’t hurt you, did he?”

“N-No, he…he was…very kind,” Mina stammered.

“I told you there was nothing to fear,” Echidna laughed, ruffling Celine’s hair.

“Yeah, yeah,” Celine chuckled, squirming out from under Echidna’s large hand.

“Dakon and…Miss Echidna, right?” Mina stepped up to the purple skinned man and his much larger wife.  They nodded to her and Mina responded with a bow.  “I…wanted to thank you for helping us before.”

“Haha, she’s going to do that to everyone here, isn’t she?” Dakon laughed and gave Celine’s arm a little nudge.

Shrugging, Celine put her arm around Mina and laughed.  “What can I say…it’s her nature.”

Blushing hard, Mina lowered her eyes to the ground.  “So, is that a new one?” she heard Kinana mutter.  Looking up, Mina saw that what was cradled in Echidna’s arms was a little bundle of fur with small, leathery wings, a long tail with spikes coming out the end, and a small, rounded head, lapping at her breast.

“A baby?!” Mina gasped, stumbling over to Echidna and almost losing her balance as she did so.  Celine and Kinana caught her and they all gathered around the larger woman.

“Hmm?  Oh, yes.  This little one’s name is Kal.  He’s only a week old, so I still have to suckle him.”

“He’s adorable!” Mina squealed, reaching over and tickling the little ball of fur.  It let out a low purr and went back to sucking on Echidna’s nipple.

“I really envy you, Echidna,” Kinana sighed, poking at the ball of fluff with her tail.  “You not only get to have kids, but you’ve got such a lovely mate…” she smirked and tickled Dakon under the chin with her hand.  The purple skinned man raised an eyebrow in her direction, but otherwise did not react.

“Hand’s off, succubus,” Echidna growled good naturedly.  “He’s mine.”

“So…” Celine interjected, blushing a little as she did, “Is it time to go?”

“I think so.  We need to go find Daryl,” Mina replied.

“Easy enough.  The princess ought to still be with Nerise.”  Turning to Dakon and Echidna, Celine smiled and held out a hand.  “Thanks for everything.  It’s been a lot of fun.”

“The pleasure was ours,” Dakon nodded.  “It’s not everyday we meet a girl who’s skinned a cu sith with her bare hands while running with a pack of fenris.”

“Haha, yeah, I had some wild times before I settled in with Mina and Kano,” Celine snickered.

“I hope you can come back sometime,” Echidna added, planting a small kiss on Celine’s forehead.  “All of my children are really quite fond of you.”

Waving as they went, Celine took Mina’s hand and led her and Kinana towards the other bonfire on the far side of the clearing.  “This sure is a weird place, huh?” she smiled at Mina.

“You get used to it after a while, though,” Mina giggled, squeezing both Celine and Kinana’s hands.  “It feels nice, being back among so many strange and wonderful voices.”

“Sounds like our little family’s nothing new to you.”

The three of them turned and saw a figure garbed in a black cloak melt out of the darkness.  “I do not believe we have been introduced.  I am Vincent,” he bowed deeply, his pale skin almost glowing against the blackness of the night.

“Minava,” Mina curtsied, “but everyone calls me Mina.”

“Celine,” the bronze skinned girl nodded at the man.  “So…you’re a teythen, right?”

The man’s crimson eyes flickered and he averted his gaze from the girls.  “That is correct.”

“Oh, don’t be so gloomy, Vincent!” Kinana sighed, leaning over and dragging the man over to the two girls by the arm.  Even in the dark, Mina could see color rise to his cheeks and a small grin played at his lips.  “If they’ll sit and talk with a nal-vey and an omnara, you really think they’ll be scared of a teythen?”

“I…have my reasons for staying at a distance,” Vincent replied, straightening the bandana he wore over his white hair.  Turning to Mina, he added, “I merely wanted to say…I am grateful for your offer in the forest.”

“It was just a little blood,” Mina shrugged.  “And you seem like a good person.  You did protect us, after all.”

“Hmm,” Vincent stroked his chin. “It is unusual for people to be so accepting of my kind outside of Ahri.  This is a pleasant surprise.  I must admit, I was somewhat concerned when your friend-”

“Yeah, Daryl’s a bit…pampered,” Celine snorted.  “Our little princess doesn’t get that the clergy might be wrong about a few things.”

“Nevertheless, I am grateful.  I hope your time here has not been too…unsettling.”

A shiver ran down Mina’s spine, but she tried to hide it.  “It was fine,” she said hurriedly.

“Good,” Vincent nodded, before pulling out a small flask and taking a quick drink.  “Forgive me, but I have business I must attend to,” he added, wiping his mouth on his sleeve.

“Oh…umm…okay,” Mina said.  “It was nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” Vincent nodded at her before taking a few steps backwards and vanishing into the trees.

“Ugh, he’s so stiff,” Kinana grunted, folding her arms across her chest.  “It’s not like we’re strangers.  There’s no need to be so formal all the time.”

“It’s just in his nature, I guess,” Celine murmured, narrowing her eyes at Kinana.  “Come on.  The princess is just over there,” she pointed to the bonfire at the edge of the clearing.

When the three of them drew close, Mina saw that three figures were seated around the fire.  The little girl with long, coarse black hair and a robe that was too big for her was seated next to Daryl, who was engaged in a lively conversation with her and had laid her expensive purple cloak on the log next to her.  On the other side of the fire was the brown haired conjurer, gazing down at his bandaged right hand.

Looking up from his hand, the conjurer noticed them coming and waved.  “Oh…uh, hey!  Pull up a seat, if you want,” he patted the log he was sitting on.  “There’s plenty of room.”

“Why are you sitting all alone, Deminos?” Kinana flapped her wings and floated over to the conjurer, landing next to him on the log.  “Don’t tell me you’re scared of girls…” she smirked, nudging him with her hips.

“N-No, it’s not like that!” he grunted, turning bright red and scooting away from Kinana.  “It’s just… it’s pretty clear I’m not wanted over there,” the conjurer snorted, jutting his thumb out at Daryl and the little girl.

“Why would you think that?” Mina asked, taking a seat next to the young man named Deminos.

“Did the princess give you the brush off since we’re not in danger anymore?” Celine sighed.

Glaring up at Mina and Celine, Deminos let out a grunt and turned his gaze back to the fire and flexed his bandaged hand.  “Something like that.”

“What happened?” Mina asked, scooting a little closer to Deminos.

“When we first met it was all, ‘protocol this’ and ‘we beg your protection’ that, but now…” Deminos blew air out of the side of his mouth and glared at Daryl.  “But now that she’s got no use for me, I may as well not even exist.”

Looking over at Daryl, Mina and Celine saw that she was enraptured by what the little girl was saying.  “Wait, say that again.  I’m not sure I understand this whole ‘Void energy’ business,” Daryl raised an eyebrow at the little girl skeptically.

“Okay.  See, the power I use in my necromancy is Void energy.  Void Energy is the essence of the soul,” the little girl said with a childish smile on her lips.  “We all know that the Void is the stream of souls which binds the worlds Shanadia created together.  But what some people forget is that it’s just like the Leyline.  The Leyline is a stream of life, while the Void is a stream of souls.  And, since they’re so similar, it’s not that hard to use Void energy for magic just like how we use Leyline energy.”

“So…it’s like a secondary source of power?” Daryl mused, rubbing her upper lip, “I mean, can it heal like holy magic or kick up fire or ice like elemental magic?”

“Uh-uh,” the little girl shook her head.  “Void energy is the opposite of Leyline energy.  Leyline energy creates the tangible, like a body, and Void energy creates the intangible, like a soul.”  The little girl spoke frankly and childishly, but with knowledge that belied her appearance.  “The Leyline gives the world life and all the laws surrounding that life.  However, by introducing a small amount of Void energy into the world, you can kind of bend those laws.  That’s basically what necromancy is.  Normally, a soul can only exist in a living body.  But we bend the law a teensy bit and we can briefly put a soul into a dead body for a short time.”

“I never would have guessed…” Daryl mused.  “Tell me, Nerise, does teleportation magic make use of Void energy as well?  You said it bent the natural laws of the world and I can think of nothing more unnatural than moving between distant lands instantaneously.”

“Tcch, teleportation magic,” Deminos snorted.  “You really think you can boil something that complex down so easily?” he growled at Daryl, “Listen up!  If you know what’s good for you, you’ll forget trying to understand teleportation.  Without years of training, you’ll just end up splattered across five different kingdoms the first time you try it.”

Daryl glowered at Deminos.  “I don’t recall asking your opinion.”

“Well, thank you both for that wonderful image,” Kinana let out a sigh and stepped between the two of them.  “No doubt the next time I take my meal, all I’ll see is a bloody smear from the Bay of Bendak to the Gollian lowlands.”

“Kina?” Nerise tilted her head to the side before a huge grin split from her lips.  “Kina!” she jumped off the log she was sitting on and ran over to Kinana before jumping into the air, latching onto the succubus’s chest, and smothering her face in Kinana’s bosom.  “KinaKinaKinaKina!!!”  she squealed.

Everyone present turned a bright shade of red, save for Kinana, who merely laughed and patted Nerise on the head.  “I missed you too, Neri,” she said, extricating the girl from her breasts and nuzzling her cheek.  “Have you been entertaining our guests like a good girl?”

“Uh-huh!” Nerise bobbed her head up and down.

“Kina?” Daryl repeated before finally noticing Mina and Celine.  “Mina!” she ran over to Mina and hugged her.  “I was really worried!  I…I didn’t know what to think when I heard that…that lich was going to be the one treating you,” she lowered her eyes.

“You can relax, Daryl.  I’m fine,” Mina smiled, looking from her friend to the impish little girl held in Kinana’s arms.  “This place is a little crazy though.”

“Dary, who’s your friend?” Nerise asked when Kinana put her down.

“It’s Daryl, Nerise,” Daryl sighed.  “Anyway, this is Mina and the vagabond.”

“Hey!” Celine exclaimed.

“Haha…Mina and Kina,” Nerise giggled.  “Hi there.  I’m Nerise, but you can call me Neri,” she waved at Mina and Celine.

“Ummm…nice to meet you,” Mina let out a nervous laugh and held out her hand, only to have Nerise run up and hug her.  When she was done with Mina, she hugged Celine too.

“Vagabond is a weird name.  Why’d your parents call you that?” Nerise mumbled, still clinging to Celine.

Slapping her forehead with her palm, Celine sighed.  “My name’s not vagabond, kid.  It’s Celine.  Celine Gren.”

“Oh!  Haha, that makes more sense,” the little girl laughed.

“Well, this is sickeningly cute and all, but I think it’s time for me to leave.  Before you lot make me hurl,” Deminos grunted and got to his feet.

“Awww, Demi, don’t be like that,” Nerise whined.  “We want you to stay!”

“We do?” Daryl whispered to Celine, only to be rewarded with a quick shot to the kidneys to silence her.

“My name isn’t Demi, Nerise!” Deminos yelled.  “It’s Deminos.  Deminos Savant!  Jeez…the way you say my name, I sound like a stupid girl!”  Instantly, a sea of scowls bore down on Deminos from everyone around him.  “Err…I didn’t mean it like-”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Celine retorted.  “Excuse us for being ‘stupid girls!’”

“Look, I didn’t-”

“Ummm…” Mina tugged on Deminos’s sleeve to interrupt him.  The conjurer eyed her suspiciously and pulled his sleeve free of her grasp.

“What is it?” he grunted.

“I just wanted to thank you for saving us in the forest,” Mina bowed deeply, even though she was still scowling at him.  “It was very…heroic, of you.”

Deminos’s face flushed and he quickly turned away.  “S-sure.  You’re welcome or…whatever,” he mumbled before stalking off into the forest.

“Hmmph.  Typical Telnumbran,” Daryl sneered.

“Demi’s not usually so crabby,” Nerise scratched at her cheek and let out a quick yawn.  “He’s usually pretty nice.  When he’s not being crabby.”

“I wanted to thank you too,” Mina smiled and knelt down next to Nerise.  “Without you, we would have died.”

“Oh!” Nerise gasped.  “I remember now!  You’re the screaming girl!”

Immediately, Mina’s smile faded and her face turned bright red.  “I…um…yeah…I…I suppose I am.”

“I hope you’re okay,” Nerise put her hand on Mina’s forehead.  “Aeon said he’d treat you.  Are you feeling better?  He’s a good doctor.  You hungry?  I’ve got some snacks if you wan-”

A small gurgle escaped Mina’s stomach and she put her hands over it.  “No…I’m fine, Nerise.  Really,” she laughed.

“I hope that is the truth, young lady.”  Mina jumped at the sound of a soft, voice from behind her.  Gadius stepped out of the forest, clothed in nothing but a pair of dark green trousers.  He knelt down next to Mina and took her hand.  After feeling her wrist for a moment, he began to press his fingers against Mina’s cheeks, neck, and temples.

“Get off her!” Celine yelled, grabbing for Gadius’s arms.

Flashing her the warmest, most ingratiating smile he could muster, Gadius said, “Relax.  I am merely examining Aeon’s handiwork.  So, do you feel any pain anywhere?” he turned back to Mina.

“N-no…I’m alright,” she stammered, pulling away from Gadius’s probing fingers.  “And…umm…thank you for saving us in the forest.  And for helping me when I was sick,” Mina added.  “Mr…?”

“Hmm?  Ah, how rude of me,” he slapped his forehead.  Getting back to his feet, the muscular man gave Mina a low bow.  It was so low that she could see a pair of pointed ears sticking out of his hair.  “I am Gadius Yggdrl.  It is a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“Ummm…I’m Min-” Mina started to say, only to have Daryl butt in.

“Daryl Telvun!” she said with a curtsy.  “It is a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Yggdrl.”

“Just Gadius, if you don’t mind,” he smiled at her and lifted her chin with his hand.  “My…what a pretty young lady.  I am sorry for all your troubles, I-” he stopped mid sentence when Nerise bonked him on the head with her toy scepter.

“Gadi!  Aeon told you to behave, didn’t he?”

With a sigh, Gadius backed away from Daryl, who was frozen in place, her face glowing red.  “I suppose he did.  Right after he sent me to fetch you three.  Come on.  I’ll lead you out of the forest.”

Celine cast a frosty glare towards the smirking jela-vey.  “I don’t like you,” she snorted.

“What a shame.  If only you’d lose the attitude, you might actually be cute,” Gadius winked at her.

“Mina and Dary and Celi…will you come back?” Nerise lowered her eyes.

“I don’t know…I’d like to, but-” Daryl started to say.

“Sure…we’ll be back soon, Neri,” Mina quickly interjected.

“Yay!  I can’t wait!” Nerise threw her hands up in the air and laughed.

“Come on,” Gadius said, stepping back into the forest. “Given how the sky looks now, I’d wager it’s about twenty minutes till dawn.  Acacia will touch down before that, so with any luck you can be back in your beds before sun up.”  The three girls and Kinana followed Gadius through the forest, which he navigated with ease.

“So, I heard the little girl storming off into the woods.  I suppose no one was paying attention to him, eh?” Gadius muttered good naturedly.

“Little girl?  Does he mean Nerise?” Mina started to ask Kinana.

“He means Deminos,” Kinana frostily replied.  “Gadius, why must you hound the boy so?  He is no less stable than you were when you first arrived here.”

“Because of that damnable chip on his shoulder, my sweet Kinana,” Gadius smirked.

“Yeah, it’s official, you’re an ass,” Celine snorted.

“Shush, vagabond!” Daryl growled, her eyes fixed on Gadius’s sculpted body, hairless chin, and beautiful face.

Slowing his stride to match Kinana’s, Gadius put a hand under her chin.  “Since my home was taken over by Aeon, I had to cancel my date with a lovely trio of harpies.  Would you be interested in filling the time slot?”

“No chance in any of the Goetia’s nine hells,” Kinana snarled.

“Well, it was worth a shot,” Gadius shrugged.  There was a sudden tremor all around them, rustling the leaves of the trees, which stopped almost as soon as it had started. “It seems like we’ve touched down.  Best hurry.”

Stepping out of the forest, they appeared to be in a grassy meadow overlooking a desolate valley.  On the far side of the meadow, near a wall of cliffs was the hallway that Mina and the others had entered Acacia through.  Stoically floating in place by the doorway was the skeletal form of Aeon.

“Wait…shouldn’t we still be in there?” Celine jutted her thumb in the direction of the forest.  “I was wandering in that forest for hours before I found my way through.”

“When you’ve got grace and beauty, even the trees make way for you,” Gadius smirked.  “Now, if you’ll excuse me,” he added before turning around and disappearing into the forest.

“What a pompous fool…” Celine snorted.

“But he was a handsome, pompous fool,” Daryl blushed.  “And a native of Lucaria.”

“And that’s all that matters to you, huh, princess?” Celine sneered.

“Not all of us want to end up as vagabonds, you know!” Daryl retorted.

“Aeon’s waiting.  Should we-” Kinana muttered, pointing at the pair of arguing girls.

“No, it’s best to just leave them be.  They’ve been like this from the moment I introduced them,” Mina sighed, heading towards the doorway with Kinana.  After a few minutes, the sullen pair caught up with them, averting their eyes from each other.

Floating forward to meet them, Aeon looked directly into Mina’s eyes.  His piercing gaze and the cold that seemed to radiate from his body made Mina shiver and look away. “There were no problems?” he stated more than asked.

“Nope.  She’s a lot stronger than we thought,” Kinana smiled, patting Mina’s shoulder.

“Very well.  You are dismissed,” Aeon said, locking eyes with Kinana.  The succubus nodded to him and a circle of light appeared at her feet.  The circle contained a heart shaped sigil held within a pentagram, with runic characters all around it.  Kinana gave Mina’s shoulder one last squeeze before she slid into the circle and disappeared.

Without another word, Aeon pulled the door to the hallway leading out of Acacia open and beckoned Mina and the others inside.  With a snap of his fingers, the walls lit up with torchlight and Aeon led the three girls through the stone passage.  None of them spoke until the doorway to the outside came into sight.

Rushing ahead, as if Aeon intended to eat them right there, Daryl pushed the door open and stepped onto the snowy grass outside, taking a deep breath of the cool morning air just as the sun started to peak over the horizon.  They were at the edge of the forest just south of Gesthal and could see a tiny outline of the town in the distance.  “We’re alive…and we’re home!” Daryl nearly cried out.

“Yeah…well, anyway…” Celine turned to Aeon, scratching the back of her head anxiously.  After a second, she got down on her knees and bowed to him.

“Celi?!” Mina mumbled.

“What do you think you’re doing, Celine?!” Daryl snapped.  “He’s a-” she thought better of finishing her sentence after looking at Aeon’s skeletal form.

“I feel like I owe you this much,” Celine said, looking up at Aeon.  “I don’t care how grim you are.  You saved my best friend’s life and I’ll always be grateful for that.”

“You owe me no thanks,” Aeon retorted.  “Her mishap was my fault.  Had I been more careful, she would not have suffered.”

“I…um…” Mina stammered.  “I’m sorry…for what happened in the lab.”

Looking directly at Mina, Aeon’s eyes bloomed with fiery green light.  “Remember, Minava.  I can only wait five days.”

“I…understand,” Mina said, glancing from Aeon to her two friends.  “Thank you.”

“So, have you thanked everyone on the island yet?” Celine put her arm around Mina and laughed.

“N-Not everyone, I don’t think,” Mina blushed and lowered her eyes.  “Anyway, let’s just go home.”

 “Hey, what about this place?!” Daryl snorted, looking out at the massive island that seemed as big as the mountains that lay behind it.  “You can’t just leave this place here.  It’s too big!  People will spot it the moment they look out their windows!”

When she had finished speaking, Aeon raised his hand, which was sparkling with a black light that seemed to shimmer in mid air, and touched it to Acacia’s wall.  In an instant, the entire island disappeared and in its place, a large, but smooth hill appeared, with an iron door set into the wall of the hill.  Pulling the door open, Aeon stepped inside.

“When I close this door, it too shall vanish.  However, if you knock three times on the hill, it will reappear.  Keep that in mind,” Aeon said before grabbing hold of the door and pulling it shut.  After the door was closed, it melded into the hill and disappeared from sight.

The three girls looked at the hill for a moment before making their way along the edge of the forest towards the outline of Gesthal.

“So, what do we do now?” Daryl mumbled.  “Should we tell Angelo and the clergy about everything that’s happened?”

“We can’t…” Mina sighed.  “I promised Aeon that we wouldn’t.”

“You made a promise to a lich?!” Daryl exclaimed.  “What would possess you to do something like that?!”

“It seemed like the right thing to say at the time,” Mina groaned, holding her growling stomach.

“Look, let’s save the arguing for after we’ve had some food and rest,” Celine sighed.  “For now, let’s just keep what happened to ourselves.  As far as we know, we got lost in the forest overnight before stumbling back into town.”

“I hope everyone’s okay.  They were on their way to Steadfall when we-” Mina started to say, but her words died in her throat when she saw two figures approach them in the morning light.  One was swathed in a white cloak with a layer of sand on it, while the other was a muscular man with shaggy black hair peeking out of a soiled coat.

The pair of men gawked at the trio, as if they had come from an entirely different world.  “You’re here…you’re safe!” Wrec exclaimed, running out and embracing Mina joyously.  “Oh, man!  Kano’s been beside himself with worry!  C’mon, we gotta get you girls home!”

“U-uncle Kano?” Mina stammered, tears blooming in her eyes.  “He’s back?!”

“Yes.  One of the border guards found us and told us the fighting had died down, so we returned to Gesthal,” Nivtenc muttered.  “We assumed you had as well, since we didn’t find you on the road to Steadfall.  However when we got back…”

“Oh, goddess!  My mom must be going crazy!” Daryl squealed.

“Uncle…we made it,” Mina sniffled.

“C’mon, there’ll be time for tears later,” Wrec said, taking Mina’s hand.  “For now, let’s get you some hot food and clean clothes.”