Lucinda and Lucifer

We also revisit Dantaus, and meet Ven's father.

"Your Majesty?" a timid voice broke into Dantaus's thoughts, and the king slowly looked up. The servant tried not to stare.

The formerly fair and beloved prince, destined to be an equally loved king, was now a small shadow of his past self. His eyes were sunken and hollow, and the servant knew that he had not been eating or sleeping well, if at all.

"Yes, Bartram?" Dantaus asked tiredly, pushing back his hair.

"Well.....um, sir, we have a peasant.....who.....who just won't leave, sir." Bartram stammered, thrown off by the intense and haunted look in his king's eyes.

"I see." Dantaus sighed. "What's his name and what qualm must I settle?"

"He won't say what he has to tell you, but he says it's urgent. He says his name is Pakki, though." Bartram ventured, and Dantaus blinked.

"That's the man who posed as Finneaus for the ride home." Dantaus remembered, and small spark of his hope came back. "Quickly, send him in."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Bartram bowed, and backed out of the throne room. He returned shortly, now leading a poorly dressed man. If one looked closely, you would see that the man's skin was clean and scrubbed, an unusual condition for the lower class, and that his tunic was worn and threadbare, but relatively clean.

"Your Majesty." the man bowed so low, his head almost touched the ground. It was obvious that he was nervous in Dantaus's presence.

"No need for any of that." Dantaus said impatiently. "Now, Pakki, what business do you have? Does it have to do with Finneaus?"

"The tutor? Aye, it does." Pakki bowed again.

"Well? What is it?"

"Only an letter, Your Grace. The tutor told me to give it to a few days after our return, and I guess this is a good a time as any." Pakki pulled a folded piece of parchment out of his tunic. "I didn't read it, neither, not being able to read an' all."

"Excellent." Dantaus leaped off his throne and eagerly took the letter, unfolding it with a strong sense of hope.

Dantaus,

I write this to you with the utmost of caution and care, and I pray that you dispose of this letter as soon as you read it. I know that the Queen has been kidnapped, and I know that it is Leopold’s doing, although he was not quite aware of his actions. It’s difficult to explain and to understand, and I think it’s better that you do not know why I stayed behind. All you need to know is that I will find the Queen, and you should not interfere. The only reason I tell you this is because I do not want you to worry and I think that you deserve to know. This is not something you can help me with. Do not act rashly, I beg you.

Everything is not as it seems.

Finneaus

Dantaus read the words, then read them again, disbelief clouding his face. Everything is not what it seems? Pasquel and Ava were missing, and he says everything is not what it seems?

"Will that be all, sir?" Pakki asked suddenly, and Dantaus jumped.

"Ah, yes. Yes, that will be all. Bartram will give you a ride home, along with compensation for delivering the letter." he said distractedly, and went into his small meeting room connected to the throne room.

Everything was not what it seems?

"Everyone I love is disappearing, and the crazy old man only gives me riddles." Dantaus muttered, crumpling up the paper. Angry, he storms out of the throne room and down the vast palace hallways, until he reaches a wooden door.

Opening it, Dantaus surveys Finneaus's office.

"If he won't tell me, then I'll just have to find some answers myself." the king mutters to himself, and starts to go through Finneaus's desk.

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"Wait, they what?" Tiran's mouth dropped open, and Ven forced herself to look away.

"They kidnap people that fall in the water." Ava repeated, wrapping her blanket around herself, shivering. "There were skeletons in the pools. It was awful." Saol and Ava were both seated in front of a crackling fire with warm blankets, their hair still wet from the swim.

"But......but that's illegal!" Tiran sputtered.

"I don't think they cared." Estïqiã pointed out. "There are rumors about this. Mermaids that undergo their horrible transformations to snatch any trespassers into their waters, instead of only using for self defense." She was still acting like Ven wasn't there.

"They need to be stopped." Tiran declared firmly.

"That's not really one of our top priorities right now, Tiran." Ava said wearily, looking a hundred years older and exhausted by the events. Her eyelids were slowly sliding closed, despite her best efforts, and her upper body swayed slightly before she laid down on the ground. Saol copied her, being just as tired.

"But-" Tiran tried to keep going, but Estïqiã punched his arm suddenly. "Ow!" he complained.

"Shush! Can't you see that she's trying to sleep?" Estïqiã rolled her eyes.

"But I still want to ask about the chest." Tiran stuck out his tongue, and Ven glanced over at the ancient trunk that had been dragged inside by Ava, but in the all the chaos, nobody had thought to ask about it.

"We can ask her tomorrow." Ven touched his arm gently, and Tiran nodded, looking agitated.

"I have things to do." Estïqiã muttered, and disappeared into her room. Tiran stared after her until the door closed, and Ven quietly sighed.

A long silence followed, in which neither Ven or Tiran knew how to break it. It had been over twenty years since they had seen each other, and it was creating an awkward gap in their relationship.

"Do you......want to go do something?" Tiran finally asked.

"Yes." Ven immediately replied, relieved.

"Good. Yes." Tiran smiled, and opened the door for her. They left quietly, picked a trail at random, and started walking, both painfully aware of the quiet.

"So......" Ven began. "How is.......how is your training with Ava?"

"Good." Tiran answered. "Good, but strange."

"How so?"

"It's just.......Ava's is my first student, but she's the first student in history I've ever encountered that just.....knows it all." Tiran said hesitantly. "Other tutors spend years and years, almost fifteen years, before their student finishes their training, and Ava's acting like she's already been through it all, like she's at the point where she could go through her Wåñtÿęk. I don't even know how far along she is."

"Is that a bad thing?" Ven asked.

"Yes. No. I don't know, Ven. I just think that......" Tiran ran his fingers through his hair. "I just think that someone else more experienced than me should be dealing with this."

"No one is better equipped to deal with this than you are, Tiran." Ven said softly, touching his arm, and he smiled faintly.

"Thanks, Ven." he said. "What about you? What were you doing before......before you moved in with us?"

"Oh, nothing. Just spending a good chunk of my life wasting away in a prison." Ven said bitterly.

"Your father locked you up?" Tiran asked, shocked. He had met Ven's father once before, and he had seemed like a relatively harmless guy, although he seemed to have an intense dislike for Tiran.

"For twenty years, I spent my time mastering things he wanted me to learn. Diplomacy and other skills that are useless in the real world."

"Diplomacy isn't useless." Tiran argued. "Even before you took the lessons, you won most arguments because of your patience."

"There is no argument. There is only a contest of patience and manipulation." Ven said.

"When did you get so wise?" Tiran grinned sideways at her.

"I've always been this way." Ven sniffed, pretending to be snobby.

"Forgive me, O insightful one."

"You are forgiven, O ignorant one."

"Touche." Tiran admitted, and they continued on in a companionable silence for a while.

"Tiran, I wanted to ask you something." Ven began hesitantly, and Tiran stopped suddenly, his eyes widening. "I wanted to know if-hey!" she shrieked as Tiran shoved her to the side, where she fell into a bush.

"Get down!" Tiran hissed, and Ven opened her mouth to protest before she heard it.

Hooves, headed their way.

Fast.

Concealing herself more effectively, she crouched quietly and watched through the foliage as a group of seemingly equine creatures galloped over. Each was beautiful to look at; shimmering coats, gorgeous patters, and long spiraled horns sticking out of their foreheads. Ven's breath caught in her throat when she saw the lead one, a pure white stallion with a gleaming horn, a beautiful white, except for a ring of gold at the base.

The group whinnied and kicked up their hooves, the universal unicorn sign that warns other creatures that they are about to transform, which would cause blindness to most creatures. Tiran averted his eyes, and during it, he glanced at the bush Ven was in, finding her warm brown eyes and shooting a meaningful look.

"You may look now, fairy." the deep sonorous voice of the formerly white unicorn made Ven shiver, and Tiran again turned his back to her. Craning her neck soundlessly, Ven was just able to see the group of newcomers, including their leader.

His hair and beard, always pure white, would seem to clash with his tan skin, but it actually made a nice combination. He was wearing a crown and a blue velvet doublet and vest with his favorite pair of boots, and his normally kind eyes were flashing danger, like they always did when they saw Tiran.

"Tiran." the man said the name like it was a disease, but Tiran kept himself polite and courteous.

"King Par." Tiran bowed low, but King Par did not return the gesture.

"I am looking for my daughter who has......wandered off." King Par said carefully. "Have you seen her anywhere? She may be lost."

"No, Your Majesty, I have not had the pleasure." Tiran inclined his head, and Ven found herself believing him, but King Par merely narrowed his eyes.

"What are you doing here, wandering around so far from home?" King Par asked.

"I was assigned my first student, and she is staying a way from my colony." Tiran informed him. "Her name is Avaline, and she's progressing along quite well."

"Yes." King Par nodded like he wasn't really listening. Ven suddenly felt angry at him, for treating Tiran like he was nothing. He never treated anybody like he treated Tiran, not even the servants.

This is why I left! Ven wanted to jump out and shout, but she forced herself to sit still and listen.

"Well, if you see her, contact me immediately." King Par continued.

"As you wish, Your Majesty." Tiran bowed again.

"And tell her-" King Par's voice broke, and Ven stared. She had never seen her father like this, much less like this with Tiran. "Tell her that no matter what, I love her, and only want what's best for her." he finished abruptly, then cleared his throat as if embarrassed before turning to his men.

"Guards, mount!" King Par shouted, and Tiran quickly turned away as they were all enveloped in a brilliant flash of light before they galloped away. There was a pause, and Ven tried to collect herself.

"They're gone." Tiran sighed with relief, and his hand was offered. Gulping, Ven took it, and let him pull her to her feet.

"Thanks." she brushed the grass and leaves off her simple gown, and kept her face down, which was frantically trying to mask her turmoil of emotions.

"Are you......okay?" Tiran asked hesitantly.

"Fine." Ven forced a quick smile.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine." Ven repeated, a bit snappishly. "Let's just go back, okay? Please?" Tiran stared at her.

"Okay." he sighed, and started to lead her back the way they had come, travelling in silence.

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I had never really had nightmares before.

I mean, I once dreamed that Finneaus and Teresa switched jobs and personalities, so that one was doing the other's job and acting like the other. That was pretty terrifying.

But this was different.

Something told me that this was no ordinary dream. Things were too real, too substantial, to be a mere nightmare.

I was sitting on a red velvet couch, in a small room crammed full of the strangest and scariest things. Sagging shelves were crammed full of jars with......interesting contents. They had small animals, spiders, skeletons, and a few looked like they had actual human body parts in them, but I didn't really want to get a closer look.

The floor was also littered with books. Tall, wobbly piles of thick and ornate books that threatened to topple over at any minute, some open to certain pages, and some stuffed full of book marks. A stone fireplace with a blazing fire crackled across from me, and a large black cauldron sat in the middle of the room, filled with some bubbling substance.

"Mrow." 

I jumped as a silky black cat with large golden eyes jumped down from a particularly tall and precarious stack of books, landing lightly on its feet, on the couch's armrest, where it stared at me with its giant golden orb eyes.

"Lucifer, down. Don't scare our guest." a voice scolded the cat, and a woman stepped out from behind a book tower.

Well, it was really a bunch of jars with the edge of a dress and large boots peeking out from the bottom, but I'm pretty sure it was a woman.

Sure enough, when the jars all fell and rolled away, it revealed a very short and plump woman, with a fantastic mess of frizzy grey hair, bright grey eyes, a wrinkled face, long nose, and a pointed chin, wearing a plum dress dotted with tiny white flowers.

"You.....you named your cat Lucifer?" I asked. Everything was slightly off, like she was there, but not completely. "Doesn't that mean......evil?"

"Depends on who you talk to, dear." the woman's eyes twinkled. "Not everything must be good or evil. Some are in between, or they really have no wish to be good or bad. It really depends on who's holding it, or who you're talking to. I'm Lucinda, by the way."

"Um....okay." I managed, a little distracted by the unblinking stare of Lucifer. "How.....how did I get here?" She laughed, a deep rich sound, and picked up one of the fallen jars, one full of little white objects and an old label with tiny, scribbly writing.

"Why, you came here, dear." the woman chuckled, unscrewing the jar's lid. "To seek your future."

"My what?" I asked.

"Your future, dearest. You wish to know what your future holds, and, well, I'm the most capable witch there is." she poured a handful of the tiny misshapen pearl things into her palm, and examined them carefully.

"You're a witch?" I asked incredulously. "And you can tell the future?"

"Yes, I am, and most witches can. I, however, am the best of the best. I've been predicting since I was four years old." she smiled, and cupped her hands around the white objects.

"Four years old? But.....there's no way you were appointed as magic holder that early."

"I wasn't, but I guess I didn't need it. Then again, I was always a little.......different." Lucinda grinned mysteriously again, and Lucifer meowed. "Now, let's take a look into your future, shall we?"

She threw the white things into the bubbling cauldron, and I let out a scream as a huge plume of green smoke erupted, forming the shape of a skull, before dissipating.

Cautiously, I got up from the couch, and moved to the cauldron, peering down at a black liquid, a few bubbles breaking the surface every once and a while. The room was dark, and the glow from the cauldron cast creepy shadows on the walls of the tiny shack. I glanced at Lucinda, then gazed in horror at her face. Her eyes were wide, and completely black, the same color as the cauldron and its contents, and she looked as if she was possessed. If it wasn't for the purple dress, I would've thought that it was a different person. She began to chant in a raspy, horrible voice.

Cauldron, cauldron, black as night,

Grant me now the gift of sight.

Show me now with what you will

The future of the blood I spill.

Her wrinkled and gnarled old hand grabbed mine, and I tried to wrench it away, but her grip was like iron. A flash of steel came out of nowhere, and pain ripped across the bottom of my right palm. Too terrified to even scream, I watched as crimson blood dripped from a two inch long cut on my palm into the black cauldron.

There was a loud sizzling sound, and the ebony liquid bubbled up around the blood, enveloping it, before going glassy smooth. The witch woman waved her hand over the cauldron, and the surface rippled slightly. I gasped as Estïqiã's face formed in the murk.

"The elf will be with you for almost all,

But when you need her the most, that's when she will fall."

Lucinda rasped in her horrible voice, and the black rippled again, until it showed Pasquel's face.

"The queen will be rescued despite troubles it incurs,

But you will fail to retrieve what's rightfully hers." 

To my surprise, the next things to appear were the faces of Karo and Maurice.

"One will fight bravely, but in the end, he will fail,

And the other shall release the the power it veils."

I don't know if I like the sound of that, I though worriedly, but I didn't have long to dwell on the unpleasant prediction before Tiran's and Ven's faces came up.

"The tutor has guided you on your magical sight,

But the princess will take over when the time is right."

The next display was unfamiliar to me. A tiny, delicate face, with skin as pale as Estïqiã's, small red lips, wide and angled big blue eyes, long eyelashes, wispy whitish blonde hair, and pointed ears like an elf's, but a little bit thinner, and perhaps a little longer.

"Created from your touch, your missing piece,

Attached to you forever, until the release."

There was a small pause, and the lights dimmed slightly. I hoped the nightmare was over, but no such luck. Yet another face came into view, and I found myself staring at Saol.

"Friend in fair weather, with no memory today,

But when the time becomes so, he will surely betray."

"SILENCE!" Lucinda screamed, and threw up her arms. A huge column of light shot up from the black cauldron, and a horrible, unearthly cacophony filled the air, shrieking and screaming as if it was dying.

Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was gone. The black pot was empty, and Lucinda was hunched over on the ground, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Lucifer was collapsed on the couch, his eyes rolling about as his body spasmed with pain.

"Lucinda!" I started towards the witch, then hesitated, remembering the demon that had possessed her only moments before.

"Don't......worry.....about me, dear." Lucinda gasped, leaning heavily against the wall. She managed a smile. "My, my......haven't predicted anything like that.......in.....quite a long time. Not as young as I.......used to be." her eyes were back to their grey color, with no hints of black, so I cautiously approached Lucinda, then helped her to the couch.

She sat down heavily, and eventually regained her breath. Lucifer crawled into her lap weakly, and she tenderly stroked his dark black fur. I suddenly noticed a small grey streak in Lucifer's fur, on the back of his neck, that had not been there before. I felt terrible.

"Lucinda......I'm so sorry." I apologized, but she waved me away.

"Comes with the job, dear." she smiled. "I am sorry about the whole possessive thing. That also comes with the job. Let me see your hand." I handed my sliced palm to her, which still oozed blood, and she observed it disapprovingly, before pulling out a small vial. She unscrewed the lid, and held my right hand, palm up.

"Steel yourself, dear, this will hurt." she warned me, and dripped liquid along the gash. I sucked in my breath at the sudden sting, but it passed soon enough.

Pulling back my hand, I examined the wound, which was now looking much better, while Lucinda fondled Lucifer.

"Lucinda, what did those words mean?" I suddenly asked, and the witch sighed.

"I don't know, dear. I'm only a.......conduit for the words, much as you are only a conduit for magic. Only with me, I don't have any control over what I do, or even really recollect what I say when I use my Sight. The cauldron only lets me know what I need to know, and all I know is that you are not to embark upon your quest until the fourth face has joined you." she admitted, and Lucifer meowed. I mulled over the cryptic words for a moment.

"But...." I stopped suddenly, and felt a sudden sense of vertigo. The whole scene became fuzzy and indistinct.

"Oh, no, she's fading out!" I heard Lucinda's voice speaking rapidly. "Listen to me. Never, ever, disregard a prophecy. Always heed its words. And remember your trunk. It's, ah, a little present. My gift to you. It will help unlock a huge portion of your potential. Don't forsake something because of its past, and remember that nothing is good or evil. Do not forget......" her voice faded out, and everything became dark.

I bolted up, opening my eyes, and found myself back in Estïqiã's home, sitting next to the fire, Saol asleep next to me, and a fire crackling in the hearth. Estïqiã was nowhere to be seen, and neither were Ven or Tiran.

"H-hello?" I called nervously, and Estïqiã came out of her room with a smile.

"Hey, there. Get enough sleep?" she asked, like nothing was wrong.

But when you need her the most, that's when she will fall.

"Fine." I forced a smile. "Just hungry, that's all."

"Me too." Saol's sleepy voice chimed in, and he sat up, yawning.

But when the time becomes so, he will surely betray.

"I'll see if I can find some food." Estïqiã smiled again, and went into the kitchen.

"Come on." Saol pushed me, and got to his feet. I stayed sitting, and slowly looked at my right hand.

There was a thin, puckered up two inch scar, along the bottom of my palm.

"You okay?" Saol's intense sea green eyes were looking at me with concern.

"Fine." I repeated, forcing a smile, and stood. "I'm fine."

"Good." Saol grinned. "Let's eat."

Author's Note

Who feels sorry for Dantaus? I know I do. He has NO IDEA what's going on, and it must be killing him. Everyone he knows is gone, and Finneaus won't tell him why. As for Ven, it was pretty traumatic to see her father, so vulnerable and upset, but she still has to stick to her plans.
And then there's Lucinda and Lucifer. Comments?