chronicles of eden - act I (17 page)

"So how long until we get to Ashwood now?" he asked curiously.

"At this rate we'll be there sometime tomorrow. What do you want to do there anyway?" Alyssa asked glancing over to him.

"Just stock up on supplies we'll need before we head out further. We're going to be searching for other monsters around the region, hopefully ones that will be trustworthy like you," he said looking to the witch. She eyed him curiously then smiled.

"Well I'll be with you every step of the way to protect you, Daniel, don't you worry," she giggled.

"That's
my
job, witch," Triska said with narrowed eyes.

"Really? Because you couldn't do much against me, and I'm one of the trustworthy ones," Alyssa mocked, looking back to her with a smug grin.

"You are
not
trustworthy," Triska argued sternly.

"Oh no? But Daniel says I am, and he knows best," Alyssa said sweetly looking to him. He chuckled nervously and smiled slightly then looked back to Triska, who was staring at the witch with more than evident anger. Alyssa looked up with a curious smile as she hummed a few notes, knowing very well the glare she was receiving from the teen in the back.

"Besides, he needs a girl in his life that can really take care of him. Let's see here, I've given him a ride and proper protection from other monsters out in the world, while all you've done is nearly break his back having him carry your luggage and failed to keep a sweet little witch from getting near him," she said amusedly. Triska growled loudly as she reached for her sword's handle.

"Ok, that's enough you two, really," Daniel pleaded as he waved his hands around. Alyssa hummed a happy tune while glancing back to Triska as the teen kept her hand on the sword.

"Triska has been a great companion and protector for me, Alyssa. She's always been there for me in the past, I trust her with my life," Daniel reassured. Triska smiled softly and looked down with a slight blush, her hand slowly lowering from her sword.

"Well, now it's my turn to protect you, Daniel. I'm far more suited for the job out here in the real world than she is," Alyssa said arrogantly.

"What? Like hell you are, witch!" Triska yelled as she reached back and unsheathed her sword. A mere second later and she was flying out the back of the carriage as the witch's magic caused the girl’s sword, and the girl holding onto said sword, to fly back at high speed. Daniel sighed and looked down with a hand covering his eyes.

“Alyssa,” he said flatly. Alyssa looked to him with an adorable smile, snapping the reins to have Lucky to stop once again. Daniel shook his head and looked up with a tired expression.

‘This is going to be a long trip.’

After Triska had gotten back into the carriage and was somewhat calmed down by Daniel, they resumed their trek towards the human city. Alyssa was humming a happy tune and looking up at the stars while Daniel was sitting back in the carriage against his backpack. Triska was leaning back against her duffel bag across from him and was watching her friend with concern.

"Daniel, you… you don't think I'm useless on this trip do you?" she asked quietly.

"What? Of course not, why would you think that?" Daniel asked, shaking his head. Triska looked at him for a moment then down.

"She's right though, I couldn't protect you from her. If she… if she didn't resist her nature you would have been hers without anybody to save you," she said softly. Daniel watched as Triska closed her eyes and shook her head.

"I couldn't save you… I couldn't do anything but watch as she kept you away from me without even trying. What kind of guardian am I when I couldn’t even stop the first monster we found from taking you away?” she asked with shame.

"Hey, it's alright, Triska. You came after me, that's all I could have ever asked. And Alyssa's on our side now, one of the first of many hopefully," Daniel said gently. Triska nodded a bit then looked to him with saddened eyes.

"But I want to protect you, that's why I came on this trip. I want to be the one that keeps you safe, that… you want with you," she said before glancing away.

"But I do want you with me, Triska, that's never changed," Daniel said softly. She looked to him with wonder as he smiled at her.

"Don't ever think I wouldn't want you by my side, Triska, you should know better than that. I wouldn't feel safe out here without you with me," he reassured. Triska smiled softly at him then looked down.

"Thank you, Daniel," she said quietly. Glancing to see Alyssa still looking ahead, the witch humming a happy tune still, Triska paused for a moment before looking back to Daniel curiously.

"Say, Daniel, nothing… nothing did happen with you and her, right?" she asked carefully. He looked at her for a moment then glanced to Alyssa, hesitating for a moment before smiling and shaking his head.

"No. She fought her inner nature and won, Triska. She overcame it just like I knew monsters had the power to do. She proved my theory right," he said calmly. Triska nodded then tilted her head a bit, watching him curiously. He looked back to her for a moment then smiled nervously as she seemed to be thinking something.

"What?" he asked.

"She didn't… kiss you again, did she?" she asked slowly. Daniel jumped slightly then quickly shook his head.

"No, nothing like that happened. I promise," he said gently. She nodded then looked down.

"I saw that she did before… I was worried she put a hex on your when she did, that she got inside your mind with her magic," she confessed. He shook his head and smiled at his friend.

"I feel perfectly fine, Triska, and nothing like that happened. And forget about that first… encounter, she was still being controlled by her nature then, I'm sure she didn't mean it," he said assuredly.

"But I did mean it," Alyssa said. The two teens looked to see the witch sitting next to Daniel while smiling at him lovingly, then over to see nobody driving the carriage as Lucky was still running along the dirt road. That raised two very important questions right away.

"What do you mean you did mean it?" Triska yelled out with anger.

"Who's driving the carriage?" Daniel cried out.

"Hee hee, just what I said. I did mean it, why wouldn't I want to kiss this cutie?" Alyssa said before she hugged Daniel, nuzzling against his chest with a happy smile. Triska growled loudly as Daniel was still looking to where there was nobody driving now.

"What do you think you're doing? Get off of him!" Triska yelled as she pulled Daniel to the other side of the carriage, the boy looking between the two as Alyssa held onto his other arm and giggled playfully.

"Just enjoying a relaxing ride with Daniel of course," Alyssa said innocently as she pulled him back.

"Let go of him, Alyssa!" Triska yelled as she pulled Daniel closer to her, the boy then being pulled back by the witch again.

"Again, why is nobody driving this thing?" Daniel cried out.

"Oh, don't worry about that. Lucky knows to stay on the path from here. We'll be fine," Alyssa said, glancing to the front of the carriage. Daniel nodded slowly then looked to see Alyssa pouncing him into a hug, the two landing back on the floor of the carriage as Triska growled with rage.

"Now I can enjoy a relaxing sleep back here in the arms of my savior. I feel so safe knowing you'll hold me all night, Daniel," Alyssa timidly said while having a gentle smile on her face.

"What? I never agreed to that!" Daniel cried out as he tried to push the witch off of him. Triska growled then yanked Alyssa off of the boy then pushed her towards the front of the carriage.

"Like bloody hell you'll be sleeping with him, Alyssa. What makes you think you can do that?" she yelled out with anger. Alyssa looked at her amusingly.

"Well of course I'll be sleeping with him, we're
all
sleeping back here tonight aren't we?" she asked simply. Daniel and Triska looked at her with confusion then around inside the carriage.

"What? But… we're not stopping to make camp?" Daniel asked. Alyssa giggled and shook her head.

"Why would we need to do that when Lucky can get us to the city quicker if he goes all night? He doesn't tire easily and can make the trip no problem. Besides, there's plenty of room for you and me to sleep here all cozy and comfy like,” she said happily. After a pause she glanced to Triska then shrugged with a dull smile.

“And your loudmouthed friend can sleep here too if she has to," she muttered. Daniel looked at her with surprise as Triska growled loudly while again reaching for her sword.

"Loudmouthed? Who you calling loudmouthed, you little bitch?" she yelled as she unsheathed her sword.

Two seconds later, which is one more compared to last time, the sword wielding girl was flying out the back of the carriage and crashing into the ground as Daniel looked back towards her worriedly.

"Look at that, Daniel! Now we have plenty of room to sleep back here! Yay!" Alyssa cheered as she hugged him tightly.

"Alyssa, we're not going to be doing that, and you need to stop the carriage so Triska can get back on," he said trying to pull the witch off of him. Alyssa sat back with a pouty smile and crossed her arms.

"Aw, please, Daniel? I've always slept all alone before, and we're out in the wilderness with bandits and monsters all around in the darkness. Please won't you let me sleep with you?" she asked in a sweet voice. He shook his head with a weak smile.

"I don't think that would be best. Besides, you have nothing to fear here with your magic, you're
my
protection, remember?" he said with a laugh. She sighed with a smile and nodded, then clapped her hands to get Lucky to stop. The horse slowly came to a halt as Alyssa smiled at the boy with a coy expression.

"I suppose you have a point. Still, it would be awfully nice of you to hold me, I am just a little girl after all," she said innocently while holding a finger to her lips, batting her eyelashes as she tilted her head slightly.

"You just love playing the part, don't you?" Daniel asked tiredly. She giggled and nodded.

"It's so much fun!" she cheered. Daniel sighed then glanced back to see Triska running towards the carriage with her sword drawn out, screaming something that could only be assumed to be obscenities and threats of death towards the witch.

‘Yeah… this is going to be a really long trip.’

A few minutes later Lucky was again pulling the carriage at a brisk pace towards Ashwood under the night sky. Sitting in the back Daniel was looking between the two girls as they glared at each other with fire in their eyes. Triska's sword was sheathed again, after much pleading from Daniel, as she growled through her teeth at the witch. Alyssa had her eyes narrowed while her staff was in her hands, ready to eject the temperamental girl at a moment's notice.

"Ok, we need to talk about you two… always doing that. That's going to be a problem if we're going to be traveling together," Daniel pointed out.

"Then tell her to quit pulling her sword on me. It's so very rude," Alyssa stated.

"You're one to talk, you little witch, you're the one trying to get closer to Daniel just so you can hump him," Triska said with anger.

"I don't know what you mean; I just didn't want to sleep all alone again. Besides, what's wrong with wanting him to hold me while I'm asleep, haven't you ever wanted him to do that to you?" Alyssa asked innocently. Triska jumped back with an open mouth and stuttered a bit as Daniel glanced between the two curiously. After a moment Triska shook her head with a frustrated glare.

"That's not the point here, my point is you can't keep throwing yourself at him like that!" she yelled out.

"You really do love to yell at people don't you? Has she always been this noisy, Daniel?" Alyssa asked curiously. Daniel looked up in thought, and then chose not to answer that question, knowing that would only be putting more tinder into the fire.

"Stop acting so innocent all the time, Alyssa, it's not fooling anybody!" Triska barked out.

"Please try to calm down you two," Daniel pleaded, looking to each girl as they continued to stare each other down.

"Would you try to shut your mouth, Triska, you're very loud and rude. Not to mention you're ruining Daniel and I's lovely trip together," Alyssa said with an arrogant smile. Triska growled loudly while Daniel opened his mouth to try to reason with them once again.

"This isn't your trip with Daniel, it's his and
mine
! I'm his protector and guardian on this journey, not you!" Triska yelled out. Daniel looked to her with concern and opened his mouth again to speak.

"Again with the yelling, I feel bad for poor Daniel having to listen to that noise blaring into his ears day in and out," Alyssa said innocently as she grabbed hold of one of Daniel's arms, again nuzzling against his chest with a happy sigh. Triska snarled then grabbed his other arm and pulled him closer to her.

"Back the hell off, witch, you're not using him to mate with! No way in hell!" she shouted out.

"Again, you two need to try to calm down. Please?" Daniel asked weakly. The two girls looked to him, with Alyssa smiling happily while Triska had frustration and concern in her eyes.

"She just doesn't listen, Daniel, should I get rid of her so we can sleep peacefully tonight?" Alyssa asked gently.

"Dammit, Alyssa, just back the hell off! If he's sleeping with anybody tonight it's going to be with me!" Triska yelled out. She jumped with a gasp then looked to Daniel with surprise at her own words, with him looking at her curiously. She blinked then smiled nervously.

"I mean… I just don't want that witch near you is all. That's… what I was meaning to say," she said weakly. Alyssa looked between the two then smiled slyly.

"Oh ho ho, I see.
You
want to mate with him yourself don't you, Triska?" she asked with a smirk. Triska jumped a bit then looked at her with surprise and a small blush while Daniel looked at his friend with wonder.

"What? That's not what I was saying! I only said… I mean I didn't… that's not…" Triska stammered. Alyssa giggled then held on tightly to Daniel's arm.

"Well if you're
not
trying to mate with him, why not let him sleep next to me? Don't you trust that he won't take advantage of me when I'm asleep in his arms? He wouldn't be
that
naughty with a helpless girl, would he?" she asked with a smug grin. Triska growled and glared at her while Daniel looked worriedly between the two.