Chronicles of Eden - Act V (14 page)

“Because you are the most frightening person I have ever come across?” Kroanette shakily asked.

“Because I’m being nice and allowing you to live after you ruined my shot at getting pregnant. Now, I’m sure you have your centaur pride and wish to humbly serve me for all that you’ve done, but just in case that’s not enough to persuade you into being a good little horse for me then consider this.”

Clover stood up and aimed down at Kroanette with a sharp eye, the centaur now frozen in fear as she stared at the elf with wide eyes. In an instant Clover set loose her arrows, all three striking down and splitting each of the three bolts that she had fired across Kroanette earlier right down the middle with loud snaps. Kroanette glanced to each of the new arrows that lay lodged in the dirt near her then up at the elf with shock as the girl pointed down at her with a harsh glare.

“My arrows always hit their target,” she threatened. “If you decline my gracious offer to be my personal horse than I will find you no matter where you run off to. I’ll find you, and then you’ll die by my arrows without ever seeing them coming. You got it?”

“I thought elves were peaceful creatures,” Kroanette whimpered.

Clover stomped on the centaur’s stomach, with Kroanette gasping in pain before coughing.

“You got it?” the elf sternly repeated.

“I got it, I got it,” Kroanette coughed out while cringing under her.

Clover scoffed at her then proceeded to untie the centaur’s hooves. Kroanette watched her with a nervous whine while remaining still on the grass, not wishing to set off the temperamental elf with even the slightest movement. Clover undid all the centaur’s binds then walked over and yanked her three arrows up from around the girl before shoving them into the quiver behind her.

“Get up,” she ordered, with Kroanette property stumbling up onto her feet. “So then, what’s my new horse’s name?”

“Kroanette,” the centaur shakily replied.

“Fine, whatever. Wash your face off in the river, you’ve got semen all over it,” Clover ordered while pointing to the nearby stream.

Kroanette nodded then quickly trotted over and knelt down by the river, scooping up water in both her hands to try to clean herself off from her ordeal. As she did Clover walked over to the bodies of the men, eyeing over the fallen humans with a dull glare before she started to take the belts off of them.

“This royally stinks,” Kroanette grumbled to herself. “I wouldn’t be in this horrendous predicament if it wasn’t for that accursed fairy. When I find her again…”

She cleaned her face and hair off then started to wash her breasts, shuddering again at the memory of what the men were using them for earlier as she tried to clean them the best she could.

“I can’t say I didn’t deserve that. After all we centaurs have done to humans… we truly have been Darker Ones ourselves. My people have to listen to Daniel, they must or else they are damning themselves and their pride to hell.”

After she washed herself off she pulled her shirt back down and looked at the moving stream with a distant gaze. She imagined Daniel smiling back at her in the reflection from the water, her hand slowly reaching out and touching the surface which caused the image to waver and vanish in the ripples.

“Will he come for me? Will the others look for me? They are my friends, are they not?”

She then looked over to the side as she heard Clover approaching, the elf snapping a long strap in her hands made of three belts fastened together while eyeing the centaur with an arrogant smirk.

“Is my new horse ready to ride?” the elf quipped.

“Can you at least call me by my name? You did ask for it earlier after all. Just say my name like I would say yours.”

Clover looked at her with a blank expression for a moment then promptly whipped the long belt at the centaur, striking it across her rear with a loud snap. Kroanette yelped with a jump as the elf slowly shook her head.

“I told you before, never order me around,” she reminded with a threatening tone.

Kroanette whimpered and nodded while trying to control her tongue from letting out her real opinion of the elf and her abrasive personality. Clover grumbled then walked over and swung the belt around Kroanette’s waist, the centaur watching as the elf then hopped onto her back and fastened the long strap around her as well to bind them close together.

“What are you doing?” Kroanette asked before the elf yanked the centaur’s hair to turn her gaze back towards her.

“Making sure my new horse doesn’t try to throw me off while we’re on our way to Rackleholm,” Clover dryly explained.

“I owe a debt to you,” Kroanette strained out while her hands trembled at her sides. “I will make good on that and take you to Rackleholm, I promise.”

“Your debt doesn’t end there. Keep that in mind.”

“Surely you can find a horse to ride with instead of me along the way,” Kroanette hopefully reasoned. “You shouldn’t need me longer than it takes to reach Rackleholm.”

“A centaur is faster than a horse though,” Clover mocked with a smile, brushing Kroanette’s hair gently as the centaur watched her with growing concern. “And why should I give up a perfectly good centaur when she belongs to me now?”

“I don’t
belong
to you,” Kroanette argued. “I’m merely giving you a ride to-”

Clover yanked on the girl’s hair again, with Kroanette crying out before looking at the elf with worried eyes.

“A ride to
where
?” Clover repeated.

“Seriously, I thought elves were gentle and loving creatures of Eden.”

“Answer me.
Where
are we going?” Clover demanded.

Kroanette watched her with fear then slowly showed a small smile and nodded.

“Wherever you want,” she shakily answered. “You’re in charge here.”

“Good girl,” Clover sneered while petting the girl’s head, much to Kroanette’s inner infuriation. “Now, off to Rackleholm. Let’s go.”

Kroanette slowly looked around the area then back to Clover curiously.

“Um… which way is it to Rackleholm?”

“What are you talking about? It’s on the way to Flairwood.”

Kroanette nodded and looked around the area again for a while before glancing to Clover with a curious eye.

“And Flairwood is in which direction again?”

“What is wrong with you? It’s to the southwest!” Clover yelled out at her.

“Okay, okay!” Kroanette pleaded while holding her hands up. She glanced around the area before biting her lip nervously, with Clover watching her with disbelief.

“Are you playing around with me?” the elf demanded. “You know damn well where Flairwood is, you said you were on your way there with your stupid friends!”

“Yes, I did say that,” Kroanette shakily agreed while scampering around in circles. “That’s… that’s this way, right? Or maybe it was that way? Or… um…”

Clover grabbed the centaur’s hair and yanked her to the side, with Kroanette crying out and stumbling about before the elf pointed straight head of them.

“That way, you idiot!”

Kroanette peered around at the path ahead of them before cocking her head to the side. After a while she looked back to the elf with puzzlement.

“Are you sure? I don’t think I came from that way earlier.”

“Get going NOW!” Clover yelled out with fury.

Kroanette jumped with a yelp then took off along the path as fast as she could, with Clover hanging onto her with a frustrated growl. The two made their way through the woods at a quickened pace while Kroanette prayed she would find her friends soon. That and hopefully find a way to be rid of the elven huntress who was anything but what she had believed elves to be like.

*****

Walking down the vacant road in Flairwood all was quiet for Daniel and his companions. The leaves in the trees only swayed slightly in the breeze as the home of the giant butterflies appeared completely deserted to the travelers who felt a sense of unease building.

“This is all because of Luna?” Triska asked with wonder.

“Why? What did I do this time?” Luna whined while walking slowly near them.

“Something isn’t right,” Falla said stopping and glancing around. “The residents may not like Luna too much with her eccentric ways, but I’ve never seen everybody hide like this before.”

“They were here earlier,” Daniel pointed out. “I know I saw them flying about in the grove when we were riding closer to here.”

“I know they were, I saw them too,” Falla agreed. “Last time we were here they at least greeted me, and even waved to Luna occasionally.”

“Is it because we’re here with you?” Triska asked. “You did mention that we would put them on alert from coming here as well.”

“Not like this,” Falla said shaking her head. “We’ve got a male with us, my sisters should be at least
watching
him.”

“Hello?” Luna called out around them. “I’m sorry if I did something wrong again, really! Please come out, you’re making us uncomfortable!”

Nothing made a sound or moved anywhere around them, with the group glancing to each other with growing concern from each passing moment of silence.

“This is just like Eston,” Daniel worriedly said.

“Don’t say that,” Falla snapped at him. “I don’t want to even think about that nightmare again.”

“You mean deathmare,” Luna whimpered.

“Shut up!” Falla shouted at her. “This isn’t the same, we saw them here alive and well earlier. Something else is going on.”

Daniel looked around the vacant street with a careful eye then noticed Triska slowly reaching up towards her sword. Falla and Luna watched as the girl kept staring straight ahead with a focused gaze while her hand carefully took hold of her sword’s handle.

“Triska, what you doing?” Daniel cautioned.

“Don’t you dare take that thing out now,” Falla ordered sternly at her. “Are you trying to scare my sisters even more?”

“Triska? What’s wrong?” Luna asked nervously.

Slowly Triska started backing up towards a few tree homes to the side while the group watched her carefully, the girl keeping her eyes straight ahead at the street while remaining on guard from something.

“Don’t move,” she warned. “None of you.”

“What do you mean?” Daniel asked.

“Falla,” Triska said while slowly glancing behind her at a tree. “Giant butterflies don’t fight, right?”

“That’s right,” Falla answered. “So put your hand down and quit acting so damn suspicious. You’re going to cause even more alarm with my sisters if you pull this crap now.”

“So then your kind doesn’t use swords or anything, right?” Triska asked while gripping her sword’s handle.

“Of course we don’t, I doubt any butterfly has a weapon like that or even knows how to use it. What the hell are you doing?”

“I heard it,” Triska said looking back to them.

“Heard what?” Luna asked.

Triska slowly drew her sword from its sheath, the metallic ring echoing out softly as the group watched the girl tense up.

“That,” she said, then quickly spun around and swung her blade, blocking two katanas that swiped at her from behind the tree. The group watched with surprise as Triska quickly swung and blocked the fast moving swords that slashed repeatedly at her, the clanking of the metal echoing out in the street as the human was glaring at someone behind the large timber.

“What the hell?” Falla shouted out before Triska darted back towards them, with the assailant swiftly following after into view.

“Who is that?” Daniel asked as the group backed up.

The fighter was obviously a monster though she resembled a human woman quite well. She had silver hair that flowed down to her shoulders with white cat ears perked up on her head, eyes that were a dark blue and pronounced canines in her mouth as she bared her teeth at Triska. Around her neck she wore a white collar with black studs while her body was completely nude, covered with very thin beige fur while her breasts and crotch were clad in white. Behind her a long feline tail swayed about, having a darker shade of fur to it with a purple bow ribbon tied at the end with two small bells silently dangling from it. Her hands and feet were more catlike in appearance with her paws and claws, her agility and speed with her strikes showing she was very quick on her feet and precise with her motions. Strapped to a belt around her waist she had two katana sheathes crossed behind her, both being black with purple floral designs on them, while in her hands she held the long blades expertly as she swung them around inversely.

“You dare to show yourself here again?” the cat shouted out with a hiss, swinging her blades around swiftly and relentlessly at Triska.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Triska yelled as she kept blocking each attack while backing up step by step. She had to angle and swing her blade around constantly to merely defend herself, being unable to go on the offensive as the cat allowed no opening in which to strike at.

“You cannot play games with me,” the cat scorned. “All you’ve done is save me the hassle of tracking you down. Now where is she?”

“What? Where is who?” Triska cried out while struggling to defend herself. She tried to swing around at the monster before the assailant quickly deflected the attack away with one blade then followed around with her other. Triska dodged and jumped around while the cat continued to swing at her without slowing down. As she did Triska started to grow more frustrated as she learned one obvious trait to this fighter.

‘Dammit, she’s too fast! I can’t get a single hit in!’

Again she tried to push through and thrust her sword at the cat however the monster quickly struck the girl’s blade from her hand with a loud clank. The monster darted forward and whacked Triska across the face with the flat edge of her sword before spinning around and sweeping the girl’s feet out from under her. Triska promptly fell to the ground with a thump before the cat swung both blades in a crosscut down at her, stopping a hair short on either side of Triska’s neck as the human stared up at her with surprise.

“Triska!” Daniel shouted out as he and the butterfly sisters saw the girl pinned to the ground by the cat monster.

“Where is she?” the monster shouted out.