Home for Horny Monsters Ch. 075

An arrow pinged off the head of the mace, and the weapon ascended out of range.

"Fuck you, too!" She flipped off the centaurs, then grabbed back on to the mace as it climbed back into the mountains and toward the tower. Sofia stood on the outer walls, waving frantically at Eulalie.

"I need you to drop me off," she told the mace. "Nicely."

The mace slowed and then stopped above the garden. It moved down at elevator speed until her legs were back on the ground, then fell to the ground with a clunk. Sofia came running up, followed by a bunch of very upset rats.

"Are you okay?" the cyclops asked.

"Just went for a joyride is all." Eulalie picked up the mace and held it out. "I asked it to return me, and it did."

"Maybe we should lock it back up," Sofia suggested.

The mace tried to fly away, but Eulalie gripped the cobblestones beneath her with all eight of her legs.

"Nobody is locking it away," she hollered, then tugged the mace down to eye level. "Nobody is locking you away," she repeated, then patted the head of the mace as if it were a cat. "As long as you behave, that is."

The restless weapon went still in her hands, and gratitude filled her mind.

Sofia looked at the weapon with distrust, then back at Eulalie. "You had better know what you're doing."

The Arachne chuckled. She had no idea what she was doing, but had just taken a magic weapon for a joyride across the surrounding countryside.

It was officially the best day ever. The only thing that would have made it better was if her sister could have been there.

🏠🏠🏠

The evening hours had crawled, every minute stretching itself impossibly thin in an attempt to smother the room. Mike had chewed his fingernails down to the quick as he paced in the front room of the cabin. At the kitchen table, Dana sat perfectly still with her collapsed sword right in front of her. It was unlike the zombie to be so unproductive, and if not for the occasional twitching of her eyelids, she may have been a statue.

The others had gone to bed long ago, but Mike doubted they were asleep. Any moment now, Abella would return with Velvet and all of them would discuss the next step. He stuck his hand in his pocket and closed his fingers around the crystalline orb that the owl had given them.

Yuki had assured them that the spell to trap Leeds could be cast by the artifact in his hands, but he wasn't so sure. Was the owl's spirit still inside such a thing? For perhaps the hundredth time, he pulled it from his pocket and contemplated the thing. It was a yellow sphere with a dilated pupil in the middle. No matter how he twisted it in his hand, the eye was always looking right at him.

"That thing stinks," Dana told him.

He held it to his nose and sniffed it. "What does it smell like to you?" he asked. It didn't have an odor he could detect.

"I don't think I'm smelling the eye itself," she replied. "It must be the magic. Have you ever smelled rotting meat? It's like that."

Mike had a sudden urge to put the eye down, but settled on sticking it back in his pocket. "So you can smell magic?"

"A bit," she explained. "On people, mostly. You. Naia. Sometimes Quetzalli Definitely that thing. You all have a very distinct odor."

"Why does it smell so bad to you?" he asked. "My magic doesn't stink, right?"

She shook her head. "Yours doesn't. I think maybe it's where the magic came from. Bigfoot mentioned that the owl used to eat people, so maybe that's the reason. I get the feeling that she was trying to turn over a new leaf, but even a few decades of good behavior versus centuries of bad stuff doesn't make you smell like roses."

"Guess that makes sense." Mike sat across from her.

"Your magic smells different now," Dana added. "Though I suspect you're already aware. It's changed."

He nodded. "I haven't had a chance to talk about it with anyone. Maybe Yuki can help me, or Naia when I get back. It's..." Words failed him. How could he even begin to describe something he never fully understood to begin with. He examined his hand, thinking about the magic just beneath the surface. With just a little concentration, he found that he could summon a handful of sparks that danced back and forth between his fingers. He wiggled his fingers as if playing an imaginary piano. It could have been his imagination, but it sounded like the pitch of the buzzing streamers shifted.

"Neat trick," Dana told him, curiosity in her eyes.

"Thanks. I do birthday parties." He put his hands on the table and watched the sparks crawl across the wood toward Dana. She shifted away from him and held up her hands.

"No offense," she told him. "I'm trying to cut back is all."

He laughed, then watched as the sparks poofed out of existence. Was magic like energy? Had it been conserved? Would it sink down through the table and travel through the Earth until it found someone to affect? Would someone in Australia have a random orgasm because of it?

"What on Earth are you thinking about?" Dana frowned at him. "You look like you're trying to solve a math problem, but then you get this goofy grin."

In a way, maybe he was.

"I was just wondering about magic in general," he explained. "Sometimes I think there are rules, but I can't for the life of me figure out what they are."

"'All magic has a price' tends to be the first rule," Dana replied. "Maybe even the only one. Don't think I've gotten any other pearls of wisdom since I died."

"Nah, the second one is intent. There's a price to pay, and magic is all about intent." He nodded to himself. That was one he had proven time and again. Intent often fueled what happened next. That made two rules. He would bet good money that there was a third, because it seemed to be a good number for pretty much everything else.

"Do you think magic is hereditary?" Dana asked.

Her question surprised him. "Why wouldn't it be? I don't think it would be any different than hair color or whatever. Then again, that would mean there was some spiritual component similar to genetics." The image of a trans-dimensional double helix with glowing lights filled his head. It was a fun thought.

"I guess I mean types of magic. For example, would Yuki's children have ice magic that smelled like hers does?"

It was often hard to read Dana, but there was something behind her expression that made him pause and consider. She seemed to be deliberately ignoring his gaze.

"Maybe?" He shrugged. "Couldn't say, but that's specifically suspicious. Why are you asking?"

She screwed up her face, then sighed. "I think that I should tell you--"

He didn't hear what she said next. Instead, the room was yanked out from underneath him and he was falling through darkness, his limbs flailing wildly. Gasping, he slammed his hand into a palm tree and steadied himself.

"What the hell?" He let go of the tree and stumbled backward onto the beach. The dark waters of the Dreamscape swirled menacingly around the island, and some of the others stood along its shore.

"Hey. Hey!" He ran to the others, but they weren't looking at him. Their gaze was fixed on a figure who stood in the water, several yards out from where the waves kissed the sand.

"Velvet?" He started to walk into the water, but a hand grabbed onto his and held on tightly.

"Mike." Lily's voice had an edge to it that he hadn't heard before. "This...I..."

"What?" When he looked at the others, he saw nothing but sadness reflected in their eyes. "What's going on?"

"My love?" Velvet's voice was soft like feathered down, and there was a tightness to it that shook him to the core. "I'm sorry, but I have to go."

"Go? Go where?"

She grimaced, then looked at the others. "I think you know."

"I don't understand. You can't leave here, nobody can leave." He looked to Lily for support. "Aren't you all knitted into my soul or something?"

Lily lowered her gaze to the ground. "There's always been one way for someone to leave, Romeo."

The sky darkened up above, revealing a clear night sky. The stars all twinkled, but one of them sparkled more brightly than the others. Velvet looked at it with longing, and suddenly he understood.

Fiery pain passed through his chest, and he clutched at his ribs in agony.

"NO!" Mike's voice came from everywhere as he shot across the Dreamscape, his feet hovering over the water, to grab onto Velvet's hand. "I don't know what's happened, but I can hold you here like you did me! You held me here so that I wouldn't die, maybe I can do the same!"

"It isn't the same, and we both know it." She smiled weakly at the women behind him. "Because of you, I've loved more deeply in the last three days than I ever could have imagined. Thank you."

"Don't talk like that, I--" He sputtered, the words tangling into letters that spilled from his lips and floated away in the dark sea. The star above had become a ball of blazing light, overwhelming the others until they were no longer visible.

How could he tell her how he felt? Did he even know? He had experienced love before and often with the others, but their connection had been so intense. They barely knew each other, but they fit together so perfectly.

The Dreamscape shook as an earthquake hit the island, the result of his grief. He let out a cry of agony as the sea swelled beneath him and slammed into the beach.

"Velvet, no." His voice was little more than a whisper. "Please don't go."

"I don't have a choice." When she smiled, the skin around her eyes crinkled. She put her hand against his cheek and held it there. "Please tell my sister I'm sorry. I didn't mean to leave her alone in this world."

She looked up at the star and took a deep breath.

"I'm afraid," she told him. "For all the magic and beauty in this world, I'm afraid of what comes next."

He was gasping for air now, and rings of light had formed around his feet beneath the water. His magic bubbled up from the depths and filled the air with ominous whispers.

The words made no sense to him, but he could tell that it was a question. When he closed his eyes, he could hear what his magic asked of him, and he inhaled sharply.

Do you want her to stay? There was no malevolence behind the voice, if it could be called such a thing. The power inside him had felt his pain and was reacting, to grant him what he wanted. If he willed it, his magic would cling to this tiny part of her soul, and a piece of her would be with him always.

But then what would happen to the rest of her soul? He thought of Emily, trapped as a tormented specter in the Underworld. No, he didn't want that at all.

He just wanted her.

A cold hand slid into his. He opened his eyes to see Cecilia hovering next to him.

"It is time, mo shíorghrá." She wiped the tears from his cheeks, then used her free hand to take Velvet's from his own. "I am sorry."

Velvet was watching him, her spirit fading into the churning mists of the ocean. It was like she was being diluted into nothingness.

"No." He took her by the hand once more, then looked at Cecilia. "She can't stay, but...maybe we can help her go?"

The banshee nodded, a sad smile on her face.

Cecilia's lips parted and the song of mourning filled the air. The seas calmed and the air went still as her powerful voice filled the cosmos and bent it to her will. The three of them stood in a triangle as a golden light formed around Velvet's silhouette, and her spirit snapped back into focus. Wonderment filled her eyes as she looked into that night sky and saw something that he couldn't.

"Mike?" Velvet smiled. "Thank you for loving me."

There was a lot he wanted to say in that moment, but words would never be enough. Instead, he joined in with Cecilia's song. Though the words were in a language he didn't know, they spilled from his lips as easily as secrets that no longer mattered. The air thrummed with power, and he pulled Velvet in for one last embrace.

Other voices joined in behind him. He recognized the husky lilt of Lily's voice, and could tell Zel's soprano from Sofia's alto. Tink's singing voice was devoid of words--she just sang the notes, her voice rising and falling with the waves around them.

Naia, Ratu, and all the others sang out his grief as the star in the sky descended upon them. A beam of light connected Velvet to the sky, and she looked up in wonder.

"Daddy?" A smile crossed Velvet's face, and she no longer seemed afraid.

There was a flash of light, and she was gone. The star in the sky pulsed three times and then disappeared, leaving the night sky as it was.

Cecilia put her arms around him and held him close, but he wasn't interested in the comfort they provided. With great effort, he willed the Dreamscape to crumble away from him, leaving him on the wooden floor of the kitchen.

"Hey, are you okay?" Dana knelt over his chest and was slapping lightly at his cheeks. Emery hovered nervously overhead, wringing his hands together. The bedroom door creaked as Yuki stepped into the living room, concern on her face.

"No." Mike stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment, his thoughts waiting to crash down on him like heavy weights. The song lingered in his head, the eerie melody causing tears to slide down his temples and onto the floor.

"Mike." Yuki knelt by him, her eyes wide. "Did something happen? You're so pale."

His breath hitched in his chest and he felt his whole body tense up. He scrunched up his face as his anger boiled over the surface, causing the magic to churn within him.

"Leeds happened." He stood up, his hands trembling. "I need everyone to stay back."

Nobody said a word as Mike stood there, his magic filling the air with a steady hum. The others didn't seem to hear it, but that didn't matter to him. It was like a giant beating heart, just waiting to take on some semblance of life.

"He took something from me," Mike told everyone. "Something I can never get back." He wanted to say more, but was afraid that nobody would believe him. The truth threatened to overwhelm him, and if he spoke the words aloud, it would break him.

Yuki shook her head. "You're not making any sense."

"Doesn't matter." Mike's eyes flicked toward the door and his magic reached across the room and yanked it open. Everyone turned to face the door as he walked outside, stopping just long enough to grab his coat. "Come with me if you want a piece of him."

"Where are you going?" Yuki called from behind him.

He turned to look at her and she took a step back.

"Hunting," he replied. He stepped out into the cold, his feet crunching in the snow. It was still dark and would be for a couple more hours, but that didn't matter. He could feel the forest around him, hear the whisper of its creatures as they watched him approach.

He could hear the others scrambling to follow him, but he was moving at a jog now, his magic radiating out into the forest. When he got to the treeline, he looked up at them and bared his teeth.

"Where is he?" he asked.

The trees rustled as if caught in the wind. He could hear the sound spread away from him, like an arboreal radar. Perhaps a minute passed, and he heard both Dana and Yuki come up behind him.

"Mike, you're scaring me." Yuki's voice was drowned out by the sounds of the forest. Off to his left, he heard the trees creak in an attempt to get his attention.

"This way," he yelled, then bolted forward. They hollered for him to wait up, but the anger had consumed his thoughts. His magic buzzed alongside him, sending out tendrils of light that connected briefly with trees and plants as he passed, ready to assist him with whatever he desired. The sky rumbled above him, and a wicked smile broke across his face as the forest parted to allow him to run freely.

It was time to kill the Devil.

🏠🏠🏠

"Abella? Come forward, child."

She walked deeper into the cave, her chin held high in defiance. The elders of the clan, all three of them, sat in a squat, their eyes level with hers. Scattered along the walls of the cave were the heads of the different families, including her own mother. It wasn't her first time before the elders, but this time was different. Getting in trouble was a right of passage for the young, but even she knew that she had overstepped her boundaries.

"Are you aware why you are here?" This came from the elder on her left, Gaia. She was thousands of years old with fearsome horns that curled menacingly around high cheekbones.

"It is about the man from the village."

Gaia nodded. "The blind one who frequents the fishing bridge, yes."

The central figure cleared his throat. Torma was the most human in appearance, but he had long fangs that extended down past his chin. Despite his angry visage, he was considered the kindest of the elders.

"It is forbidden to speak with them, young one. Are you aware why?"

She nodded. "I am aware, elder. But I don't understand why I cannot speak with this one. He cannot see me, and is content to catch his fish and then go. He believes that I am a young woman from the village, and--"

"Therein lies the problem." Gaia shook her head. "What if he goes looking for this young woman? Should he decide to pursue your identity, suddenly the humans will hear about a strange voice that can be heard down at the bridge."

"Let them talk, then." Abella waved her hand at the others. "Those who are made of stone do not fear words."

The third elder, Lave, growled. Long ago, he had used so much heartfire that his mouth had stretched and distorted until he was no longer capable of proper speech. Through some means, the other elders understood him.

"Elder Lave informs you that words are rarely harmless," Torma said. "You are only thinking about what is right before you and not what lies ahead."

"They are one and the same," Abella replied.

Gaia shifted, which caused her wings to briefly unfurl. "Consider this, child. Should this man try to learn who you are from the village, the other humans will learn that there is a young woman unaccounted for, should they choose to believe him."

"I don't see the problem."

"That is because you are young." Gaia crossed her arms. "Should the others see fit to help this man, then one of two things happen. The first is that they decide that this woman is real and hiding. As they look for her and discover nothing, they eventually determine that you must be a spirit, or some other entity trying to lure him to his doom. Humans are notoriously suspicious of what they do not understand, and will often go to extremes. Suddenly, we have a mob of humans looking everywhere and chasing rumors until they end up here. The clan has to move, which is no simple feat."

Abella shrugged. "We are moving next spring. By the time the humans can get organized, we will be long gone."

"And what of this man you are so fascinated with?" Torma shook his head. "What if they decide he is simply hearing voices? What will the humans do with him?"

Abella opened her mouth, then sighed. If history was any indicator, he would likely become an outcast. The village tolerated him only because he was self-sufficient and lived with his mother. Did she really want him to end up alone simply because she wanted to get to know him better?

Or worse, he could be labeled as a witch. He would likely be drowned in the very river that was his livelihood.

Lave grunted, then pointed at Abella with one of his many hands.

Gaia frowned at Lave. "That punishment is not fit for this crime."

Lave snapped his teeth and continued speaking. Abella had rarely heard such continuous sound from the elder, and could almost make out a rumbling voice beneath the noise.

Torma held up a hand and waited for silence from his fellow elder. Lave shook his head in disgust.

"Elder Lave wishes to subject you to a punishment known as the Earth Mother's Embrace."