Chronicles of Eden - Act 2 (90 page)

“I know it’s stupid, that I may not ever come back, but dammit, I have to try! I can’t just walk away from this; this is why I’m out here, why all of us are out here. I’m not going to fail in what I started,” he declared, with Kroanette slowly shaking her head to that.

“Daniel, please, reconsider this, if you go-”

“I have to go there, we need this!” Daniel shouted out at her. The centaur watched him with wonder as he seemed to be on the verge of breaking down.

“We’re out here to find monster races to talk to, to gain support for our idea of peaceful coexistence, to have proof to show the queen that this can be done, to enforce great change in this world. It’s a crazy idea, I know, it sounds simply impossible to be realized. We’re fighting against the odds to do this, to put a stop to the fighting, to create real peace in this world, and to do that we need all the help we can get,” he desperately said, then looked towards the knoll further away to the side of Eston, seeing a small flicker of light that he knew was their camp.

“You saw what being told no to by Charlotte did to them. It crushed their morale, it made Alyssa feel like she was at fault for everything, it made them all lose faith in this and start to fight with each other all over again. We need this, we have to have something to show that what we’re trying to do, what we’re fighting for, isn’t just a fool’s dream, that it
can
be achieved,” he explained.

“Daniel, if you wish to speak to monsters about your beliefs so badly then I’ll take you to my mother, you can talk to her all you want and you won’t be at risk of being raped to death. You don’t have to go to Rystone anymore, it’s not worth it,” Kroanette reasoned with a worried smile.

“No, I have to go there, I can’t take no for an answer, especially with the witches. We need this victory, to bring on a powerful monster race for support; it’ll help keep everyone going with our journey, especially Alyssa. She blames herself for Charlotte saying no to me, she thinks she can’t help me at all anymore because of this loss, that witches will never help us now because of her. I need to show her that she’s wrong, that she hasn’t cost us anything,” Daniel insisted.

“But, Daniel, you’ll be in the middle of a village full of witches, along with an alpha witch. My bracelets surely won’t protect either of us from all of them for long,” Kroanette mentioned worriedly.

“Then just drop me off at the outskirts of the village, I’ll walk from there. You don’t have to lay your life on the line for this, but I do. This is my quest, the reason I’m out here in the first place. I’m not going to just walk away and accept defeat, Charlotte needs to listen to me, she needs to understand, and I’m not leaving until I make my case with her in full,” Daniel declared.

“You walk into that village alone and you certainly will never leave again, you are correct,” Kroanette replied dryly. She looked over to the knoll then to Daniel with concern.

“Those kisses you gave the girls… those were in case you didn’t come back, weren’t they?” she asked softly. Daniel nodded and glanced to her with worried smile.

“Just in case,” he reasoned. Kroanette looked at him with sympathy then towards the forest that led to Rystone.

“Are you really prepared to die so soon in your life? A human walking right into a village full of witches, that’s suicide no matter how you look at it,” she pointed out. Daniel nodded and looked to the forest with a distant gaze.

“We need this, I have to try with everything I have to win their favor with us, I can’t just accept no for an answer,” he replied. Kroanette sighed then glanced to him with a dull expression.

“You won’t last five seconds there,” she mentioned flatly.

“So if I break five do I get a reward?” Daniel quipped with a glance to her. The centaur smiled slightly and shook her head before slowly turning to face the forest.

“If you make it longer than five seconds I’ll be sure to speak highly of you to my mother while you remain in Rystone as the witches’ pet,” she mused. Daniel smirked a bit and held onto her waist.

“Just let me try to talk to them, it’s the whole reason I’m out here in the first place. If this idea really is impossible and if I really am just a fool in this world, then whatever happens to me in that village is what I have coming in life for dreaming about this,” he said with a small shrug. Kroanette hesitated then sighed with annoyance while shaking her head.

“Fine, I’ll take you to the village, but if things don’t go well I’m getting the hell out of there, with or without you, understand?” she asserted firmly. Daniel nodded with a gentle smile as she turned to look at him with an accusing eye.

“I mean it, you’d better speak well to those witches in the short time you’ll have before they try and rape you to death, I’m not in the mood to relay your final act in life to your friends back there,” she reminded.

“I’ll do my very best, you have my word,” Daniel assured. Kroanette looked back ahead while breathing out slowly.

“Here’s hoping that word isn’t your last,” she said before taking off along the road towards the forest. As they traveled towards the village of Rystone further ahead Daniel glanced back to seeing the knoll his friends were on drawing further away, the fire from their camp disappearing from view before they entered the forest together.

‘And I hope those kisses I gave them weren’t the last as well.’

In the world of Eden, there were many visionaries that saw different futures for their people. To grow and survive in the world, to prosper and become stronger as a whole, these were the goals of those that became leaders and philosophers for their kind. Whether it be to call for war in order to protect their land, or perhaps appeal for change to be made in their community for the better, these were the ones that wanted what was best for their people, and weren’t afraid to speak out loud to do so. However, sometimes they would be met with criticism, doubt, or possibly resentment if their ideas seemed too senseless or risky, with some even being treated like outcasts because of it. When faced with ridicule, rejection, and possibly even death, this is when true visionaries would stand out from the rest.

Only they would be willing to die for their beliefs.

*****

Under the night sky a group of travelers were gathered around a campfire, with their white horse standing near their broken caravan while casually looking around at the surrounding landscape and nearby village of Eston which was on fire still. Sitting near the campfire Specca was going through Daniel’s monster book with a sharp eye, the nixie trying to unravel the mystery of what Jovian and Jacqueline really were. Going through the book there were plenty of entries of monsters that could be found in the world, however nothing about a monster that couldn’t be killed. Next to her Falla was sitting down with Luna laying on her lap, the red eyed butterfly girl watching her sister with distress while Luna continued to rest with her head in her sister’s lap. Beside them Squeak was watching the sleeping butterfly girl with gentle eyes, waiting for her to wake up along with Falla. Everyone else in the group was ok physically, so Squeak didn’t need to tend to anyone else, and since Luna was the only one of them that might need attention when she wakes, the ant girl decided to wait and see if she could help at all if needed then.

And across from them Triska and Alyssa were cooking a stew together, with the pot being hung over the fire by a twisted green root that appeared to grow straight up out of the ground then hook back down to hold the container in place perfectly by its handle. Triska rummaged through her duffel bag she had next to her while Alyssa stirred the stew with a wooden spoon, the witch just staring at it with a distant gaze as she wasn’t really focused too much on cooking as she was struggling with how she may have cost Daniel ever gaining the support of the witches in Eden.

“Alright, let’s see here, this should help give it some nice flair,” Triska said before she put some seasonings in the stew. She smiled in content at seeing it bubble slightly in the pot then glanced to Alyssa with worried eyes as the witch continued to just slowly stir without saying a word.

“Alyssa?” she asked softly.

“Hm?” Alyssa merely replied with without even looking to the girl. Triska showed a worried smile and laughed a little.

“I hope this stew isn’t too ‘boring’ for your tastes,” she mentioned playfully, then watched as Alyssa just kept slowly stirring the food while not responding or even glancing to the girl.

“Alyssa?” Triska asked worriedly. After that got no response either she turned to Specca and Squeak, the two looking to her with concern as well while Falla continued to watch her sister still.

“Alyssa, what happened in Eston with Charlotte wasn’t your fault,” Triska reassured the witch.

“Yes it was,” Alyssa said softly.

“No, it wasn’t. Charlotte didn’t want to talk to Daniel because she thought his idea was crazy, not because you were with us,” Triska defended.

“If I wasn’t there he might have gotten their help, he might have gotten all witches in Eden to help him. Instead he’s told to never return again, and all because I’m with him, I cost him so much just by being near him,” Alyssa said before closing her eyes. Specca shook her head as she watched her friend seeming to fight back tears.

“That’s not true; if it wasn’t for you being there she might have killed all of us and took Daniel away to rape him. It was because of you and your horse that Charlotte had a change of heart,” she reasoned.

“Daniel could have reasoned with her, he could have talked her down, he could have gotten her to help, I know he could have. But now he’ll never get the chance to because of me!” Alyssa cried out before she threw the spoon down to the ground and started crying with her hands held to her face.

“Alyssa,” Triska said worriedly, the teen then looking to the others with a shrug as she couldn’t think of what to say. Alyssa whimpered and dropped down to her knees as she hid her face in her hands.

“I don’t deserve to have a night with him, I don’t deserve to be with him at all, I ruined everything for him and now there’s no fixing it!” she cried out. Triska watched the witch cry with remorse then knelt down next to her and held the girl close, with Alyssa sobbing still while Triska held a hand on her back.

“Please don’t cry, we can still fix this, I know we can,” Triska softly reassured.

“There’s no fixing this, as long as I’m with Daniel he’ll never be taken seriously by any witch in Eden, all the alphas are just going to laugh at him if I’m anywhere near him,” Alyssa whimpered.

“That’s not true, we can still talk to them again, with you by our side,” Triska said hopefully.

“No we can’t! Aren’t you listening to me? No alpha will ever want anything to do with this as long as I’m a part of it!” Alyssa cried out as she pushed Triska away. The teen looked at her friend with growing concern then slowly shook her head.

“Alyssa, we’re not doing this without you,” she said sincerely, with Alyssa looking to her with frustration and teary eyes. Triska smiled a little and reached out to wipe a tear off of the witch’s cheek, with Alyssa sniffling and then wiping her tears away with her sleeves.

“You’re just as much a part of this as we all are, and I know I speak on Daniel’s behalf when I say that we’re not abandoning you over this. We’re going to do what we set out here to do, with the Wildfire Witch helping us, that’s all there is to it,” Triska said with a small shrug.

“Dammit, I can’t help you, I can’t help Daniel, I can’t help anyone with this. Don’t you understand? My name is a curse word in the witch world,
I’m
a curse!” Alyssa shouted out with sorrow before looking down and crying again.

“That’s not true, you’re famous amongst witches,” Triska defended.

“I’m
infamous
! There’s a difference, I’m hated, not loved! Any witch out there wouldn’t hesitate to rip my heart out if they knew who I really was! I killed so many of my own kind, I’m a mass murderer of witches; I’m a
letchyask
!” Alyssa screamed out with eyes shut tight.

“Don’t you dare say that! You are not a vile abomination, you are not beyond redemption. Dammit, Alyssa, there’s nothing wrong with you!” Triska shouted back with desperation. Alyssa looked at her with a jump as the teen grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her lightly.

“You made a mistake; you tried to get rid of the wolves in your home and couldn’t handle your magic, that doesn’t mean you’re the devil! You helped all of us survive out here, you helped us get this far, you’re not a bad witch at all. You’re not some nameless monster of Eden or some uncontrollable lustful creature, you’re Alyssa the Wildfire Witch; you’re a good soul!” Triska insisted with a pleading expression.

“I’m not a good soul, I’m a murderer and a monster, I’m a
letchyask
and there’s no changing that! I thought I could hide it from Daniel, I thought I could avoid facing it again with him, I thought he could talk to the witches without me being near him and win their favor, but I was just fooling myself, I cost him everything!” Alyssa cried out. At this point the other girls, including Falla, were just watching them as the two went back and forth with their argument. Triska shook her head while holding onto her friend, feeling horrible for how Alyssa was feeling herself.

“You’re wrong, you haven’t cost him anything. And stop saying you’re a
letchyask
, you aren’t like that at all!” she demanded.

“But I am! As long as I’m with him he’ll be ostracized in every witch village he comes across, every witch he meets will despise him for merely traveling with me! I don’t deserve to be with him, all I’m doing is holding him back! I don’t even deserve to have his love!” Alyssa sobbed with tears dropping from her cheeks.

“That’s not true!” Triska argued.

“Yes it is! I’m nothing but a curse to him, he could never love somebody like me; nobody ever could love me with how much of a
letchyask
I am!” Alyssa cried out with despair.