Moth Ch. 024

Posted on literotica.com with permission of author: Nanna Marker; literotica ID ellynei.

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"Here we are," said the obnoxious butterfly-woman.

"Thank you," said Valo.

Five days of listening to the purple-winged butterfly's chit-chat. Her voice in his ears had been worse than the sunlight in his eyes.

"Now, let me have the picture," said the butterfly-woman, for what had to be more than the hundredth time.

"I'll hand it to her myself," said Valo, protectively holding a hand over the holster he kept the precious sheet in.

The butterfly looked like she was about to protest.

"We will make sure," said Brevila, beating the butterfly to speaking, "to tell the healer Kuruma that it was Valo who crumbled the sheet's edges."

Valo, who had walked around the butterfly, knocked on the door.

"Come in," called an old woman's voice.

Valo pushed the door open and gratefully stepped into the relative darkness of inside.

"Tobi, be a dear and pull the shutters for us," said the old beetle-woman, and a beetle-boy obediently closed a window and pulled its shutter.

"Pull the drapes too please," added the old woman.

"Here they are," said the purple-winged butterfly woman, who had squeezed inside. Behind her entered Valo's mate, Brevila. "Oh, it's getting awfully dark in here," she continued as the boy pulled shutter and drapes over the second out of three windows.

"Thank you so much for your help, sweetheart," said the old crone.

"It was the least I could do, healer Kuruma. After all you delivered both me and my mother to this world."

"That I did," agreed the old healer woman. "Tobi, when you are done with the windows, will you hand our helpful friend the herbs I made you pack yesterday?"

"Yes, grandma," said the beetle-boy, and finished shutting, shuttering, and draping the last window. "If I can find it," he commented insecurely squinting out at the dark room.

Valo's mate opened the door and let in sunlight for the beetle-boy's eyes.

"Thank you," said the beetle-boy, politely, then fetched a big, brown, package, and carried it to the butterfly.

"Is everything in here?" asked the butterfly.

Valo narrowed his eyes. The purple-winged woman had led them to believe that she had been acting out of charity. He had even given her a bow of the highest quality to repay her kindness.

"It's all there," said the crone. "Thank you for your help. We will be fine now."

The butterfly looked like she was trying to think up an excuse to stay and eavesdrop.

"Would you like me to make you some tea, healer Kuruma?" asked Brevila, Valo's mate, stealing one excuse the butterfly might have made up.

"That would be lovely, my dear," said the healer, her face not quite pointing toward Brevila.

Valo realised the old woman was blind.

"Will you be so kind to hand my picture to Tobi?" asked the healer.

"Certainly," said Valo, sooner than the butterfly could start complaining that she didn't have it, and pulled the sheet out of the holster, and handed it to the boy.

"Will you be so kind as to shut the door on your way out, sweetheart?" asked Kuruma, her face now pointing almost to where the butterfly was. "I'm sure my guests' eyes could use a rest from the light."

"Allright," said the butterfly, sounding a little sour.

Valo sighed with relief when the door shut behind the butterfly. He wasn't sure which was the greater relief: to be free of the sun-light or to be free of the butterfly.

"Actually, you don't need to make me tea," said the old crone. "Tobi made me some before you came. The boiling water kind."

"Is there anything else I can do for you then?" asked Brevila.

"No, no. I'm fine," replied the old woman. "Please, make yourself comfortable."

While Valo and Brevila seated, the old woman had the beetle-boy lay down the drawing next to her and sent him home. She made no move to say anything further.

The boy kissed the old crone goodbye, then left, and shut the door after him.

"Our daughter," began Valo, "do you know where..."

The old woman raised a hand.

"Let me just check how they are doing," she said. "I haven't had any visions since I sent for you. The picture is my only link to them."

"You're a seer?" asked Brevila.

"Mostly, I'm just an old woman," said the crone, and lowered her hand to the picture.

As soon as she touched it, the crone widened her eyes. The eyes, that seemed to have once been beetle-black, were covered by a permanent whitish film. In the darkness of the shuttered hut, Valo could see as clear as night.

"Whatever has happened in the last ten days?" muttered the crone, to herself. "What on earth did she do to her mouth?"

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"What is it?" asked Brevila, wringing worried hands.

"Give me a moment to find out," said the crone, keeping her hand on the picture. "A lot must have happened in the last ten days." The crone closed her eyes. "Don't be alarmed, I'm going to see if I can make it tell me."

Valo reached over and grabbed hold of Brevila's hands with one of his. He had been looking for comfort, but the way she squeezed his hand it seemed she had an even greater need than he. So, he let her maul his hand and held his breath not to whimper from it.

"Oh, Lei, you silly moth," said the crone, shaking her head.

Brevila gasped.

"She'll be fine," comforted the crone. "Though how she got it into her head to put a spoonful of burning hot sweet mass into her mouth is beyond me."

"Sweet mass?" asked Valo. "What is that?"

"Melted sugar," said the crone.

"That's not dangerous, is it?" asked Brevila, any moth loved sugar melting in their mouth.

"Actually, what your daughter did is very dangerous, but don't worry, she'll be fine." The crone chuckled. "She won't be eating sweets for a good while longer though."

"Where is she?" asked Valo.

"Altwar," said the crone.

"Altwar," repeated Valo, and glanced at his mate, she was both laughing and crying, he was in a mood to do the same. "We should have known that."

"Tell us everything you know," begged Brevila.

"I will start with the good news," said the crone. "Your daughter is very happy. Well, right now she is also somewhat miserable, recovering from a burned mouth and all, but, in general, she is happy. There is napkins over there." The crone pointed.

"Thank you," sobbed Valo, but his legs couldn't quite carry his weight; the napkins would have to wait a little bit.

Both he and his mate were trying to keep their sobbing quiet not to interrupt the seer.

"She is in love," continued the crone. "They have built themselves a hive high in the trees."

"Her and Oli?" asked Valo. If Lei was alive and well, he could forgive the cursed butterfly. He'd gladly call him 'son' if it could make them come home.

"Oli?" asked the crone. "I haven't seen any Oli. Your daughter calls her beloved 'Black', but that isn't his real name. He doesn't like his real name."

"Is he a moth?" asked Brevila, full of hope.

Valo was at a point where he didn't care if his daughter's man was a moth or a butterfly.

"No," said the crone. "But let's save that shock for later."

Both Valo and Brevila stopped sobbing. There was a more than ominous tone in the seer's voice.

"If you are good parents, you will learn to get past what he is. He is your daughter's great love and they cannot be separated." The crone gently caressed the picture. "I don't know much about you two. The vision of Lei's past that led me to you was very brief and chaotic. I contacted you because your daughter needs help, and I don't know where else to find it."

"We'll help," said Valo. "Just tell us where she is. We'll bring her and her man home to safety."

The crone shook her head.

"They won't be safe here," she said. "They won't be safe anywhere."

His mate was squeezing his hand so hard that Valo had to pull it free. If his daughter was in danger he needed his bow-hand to remain fit.

"Your daughter is in grave danger." The crone went silent.

"Don't just sit there woman," hissed Brevila. "Tell us how to save her."

---==(o)==---

"Our seer has been murdered," said the moth-man.

"Murdered?" asked Zoa.

"Tortured to death."

"Was it a black spider?" hissed Keme, and Zoa held out an arm to keep him from approaching the moth-man.

"Whoever did this, it wasn't a beast," said the moth-man, moving his eyes between Zoa and the madman. "Do you know anything about this."

"If he thinks he can cover his tracks by killing seers he has another thing coming," hissed Keme. "Stealing pictures. Killing seers. YOU CAN'T HIDE FROM ME, MONSTER! I'LL FIND YOU."

"Please forgive my friend, the monster killed his family," said Zoa to the moth-man.

"Monster?" asked the moth-man.

"I'll tell you what I know if you tell me what you know," said Zoa, who had learned that 'being in the Emperor's service' meant nothing to ignorant forest-folk. "We are going to kill that thing."

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Posted on literotica.com with permission of author: Nanna Marker; literotica ID ellynei.