The Threads Which Bind

Blood spilt from his numb lips and rolled down his chin to drip listlessly at his bloodied hands, his eyes vacantly followed their path without hint of concern. The fallen blood traced a line along the back of his hand crossing over multiple purple threads that coloured his skin, each as thin as a hair. These threads, scattered across his entire body, waved gently as if caught by a breeze while slowly receding along his hands leaving at his bleeding fingertips.

At least half of his fingernails were buried in the same wood where his blood was now soaking, blood from wounds both new and old. The bandages that bound his broken arm were also once again coated in fresh stains but his faded senses, once overflowing with pain, were now dead.

The emerald hairpin he’d been clutching had slipped from his fingers and currently lay on the ground before him, the bright spark at its core shining through the layer of blood coating it. “Save them,” the voice sharp as it cut free from the past and into the present, merging with his own voice as he gripped onto the shard of light, drowning it in his own blood.

Around him dozens of dazed young women, still radiating a fading purple aura, returned to their senses. Swaying slightly, they appeared exhausted, some even slouching down in such a way that was unbecoming of their warrior like image. A voice called out firmly from the outermost ring, the foreign words drawing him back from the edge of passing out.

His hand mindlessly cleared away the blood running down his lips, twitching slightly as sensation returned to him. Careful of his injuries, his body sought for balance and his feet for firm purchase as he forced strength into his weakened body. Grunting from both the pain and the effort as he stood up on two legs; his returning senses offering only more pain threatening to unbalance him.

As time passed slowly before his dazed eyes and dizziness overwhelmed his senses, his mind grasped onto slipping consciousness but he was unable to find purchase. A mirage of a thousand colours blinding him to the point that he could not even see the ground rushing up to him; the precarious balance having slipped from his laboured body.

Time passed beyond his capacity to measure with the only sensation left to him a vague tingling, like pins and needles across his entire body. If it weren’t for that sensation he would be completely in the dark, his own mind barely functioning any longer.

That sensation grew more intense as the pins and needles turned into knives and daggers and his mind gradually returned to him, the darkness retreated by a fraction as his eyes flew open. A face painted in concern and pain looked down over him from right above his own, her warmth radiating into his cold flesh. Her trembling hands holding his head propped up on her lap, reminding him of the elders who’d cared for him as a child, though she was probably a fraction of their age. Even the concern in her eyes was almost a perfect imitation of what he’d seen in those elder’s eyes so long ago.

Almost immediately as he awoke his burning lungs heaved into a lively coughing fit, red spots painted his hands, as well as a few stray droplets that had escaped him now staining the kindly face watching over him.

Myra wiped clean her face with little concern for the blood still streaked across her whirling skin. The lines shifting in a current as tumultuous as the emotions in her eyes, the strength held within those pained eyes frightening him as a purple thread twirled in its depths. A chill ran down his spine, reminding him that this place was not his home.

His head was gently settled down onto a soft fur resting on her lap, he forced himself to relax heaving a long slow sigh as he fell back into the comforting warmth offered to him. The moment he released the tension in his body exhaustion started to overcome him. He needed rest.

“Uuugh.” The sound escaping his lungs a cry from his body as he forced it further than its limits. He refused to let his fate be decided while he lay down waiting. Bones creaking and muscles screaming, a few stray tears wet his eyes as he denied his body the rest it so demanded.

From his back and onto his knees as trembling limbs fought against the forces of nature, dizziness briefly washing over his teetering mind before passing away with a cold breeze.

He placed one foot firmly on the ground, but pushing is body and mind to their limits would not grant him the balance required to stand on his own. As he was about to fall to the ground, a hand reached out to him, holding him firmly by the shoulder and giving him strength in the form of stability.

Silently he thanked Myra for her aid as he looked over the room with half-dead eyes, searching for some meaning in his suffering. And perhaps more importantly some escape from further suffering that might be forced upon his failing body.

The scene around him was specked with imaginary black spots, the bright white tent cloth still shining brightly revealing the insides of the tent. It held little of the ominous vibe that had formed in the purple mists some time ago, now it was cheerful if anything.

First he noticed the missing figure out of the many, the one person who, like him, had no horns or demonic features was missing. She probably ran from the scene sometime around when he passed out.

Instead he saw a grouping of dozens of the women that were gathered around, some still emitting a faint purple haze as they rowdily called out. The discord did not mesh well with his impression of them, he had thought that Myra’s behaviour had been an exception but they really weren’t all that well-mannered.

They called out with voices filled with enthusiasm for what purpose or reason he could only guess. Was it for his blood? The thought only slightly uncomforting in this moment, having already faced death today.

He rested more weight on Myra than he’d like to admit but she didn’t seem hesitant in her assistance. A glance at her face revealed to him some curiosity in her eyes as well, as she looked into the crowd that was formed by her comrades. She was the only one standing apart.

A few stray eyes looked over his direction reappraising him, but none approached or spoke his direction, instead their overwhelming attention was focused to the centre of their group.

The last of their skin was now fading to their natural tones with the moving black lines running along their skin in a lively dance.

A cool wind rushing through the tent sending shivers down his spine reminded him of the presence that had so briefly taken a hold of his mind. Of the thoughts that he could not consider his own rising to take his attention. He’d felt a similar sensation of wind in his mind when those thoughts crossed him but now that he was recovered the feeling was mostly gone, with only a light breeze at the edge of his awareness.

Cold and broken, he felt little patience for the women and with few other options for him at the moment he reached out for the sensation flowing between his ears. Trying to focus on it in his mind while also focusing on the words as he spoke them.

“Can you hear me? Strange person in my head, are you still there?”

Almost instantly a voice called out from the centre of the group from the one who was being bombarded with words from the many others. Her raised voice bringing silence to the noisy crowds. Emerging from within the group he noticed the first demon woman he’d seen close up, the one who’d chased him through town after he’d been separated from his team. The same one who he’d shot earlier, still with a stitched wound on her cheek from the bullet he’d fired.

As words left her lips, thoughts streamed into his own mind, “Focus on the meaning of the words, when you focus entirely on the sound like that you make about as much sense as a mentally challenged bird.” Strangely the meaning of the words she spoke reached his mind just as they had when he was passing out.

Taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the many stares that were directed his way he followed her advice. “Who are you?” The words inspiring another coughing fit from his frail body.

Without sign of empathy for his condition she continued. “Well done, you graduated from bird to hound.” Her words flowing smoothly, her eyes looking down at him unlike how she treated him in the ruined armoury. “Who am I? Am I supposed to answer with a name? A short explanation of my hobbies? A full life story?”

A sense of anxiety pressed on his mind as she pressed him, “All of the above would probably do.” With some effort he stood taller, trying to seem less pathetic to her judging eyes. Already he could feel the difficulty rising sharply when it came to making friends here.

She took a moment before replying, touching at the stitches along her cheek where he’d shot her, the motion filling his heart with guilt for a brief moment. “Lilith.” She said, her thoughts reinforcing the sounds as her name.

“Lilith.” He repeated, “I’m called Roderick Matheson but everyone just calls me Matt.”

“Then why bother telling me the rest of it?” She spoke with more than a hint of venom to her voice.

Already he was wishing that he could speak with Myra like this instead of this angry young woman who he’d already tried to kill once.

A sudden spike of irritation jabbed at his mind, “Don’t think you’re the only one who wants that. I’m sure that girl hanging off your arm would prefer it too.” This time her thoughts arrived without spoken words, strangely just as clearly.

It was a little disturbing to have the thoughts stolen from the back of his mind, let alone the sensation of what he supposed was her emotions bleeding through,  but he tried not to focus on it else he manage to upset her any further. “So what’s going to happen to me?” A few pessimistic thoughts flowed through his mind, most involving torture or execution.

“Nothing so disturbing, so long as you manage to survive your wounds you’re to be protected as a witness.” She casually remarked on his health as if it were of no concern, but at least he was glad to hear that they weren’t going to kill him or worse.

“A witness to what?” Husky voice barely even audible yet she took no notice, the women were starting to disperse from around them as they were shepherded aside by the taller woman who’d escorted him here. Though the scattered warriors still looked his direction with occasional glances of interest.

“Crimes against nature. You did witness the use of magic by persons likely to be under command of the King did you not?” He lost track of the sounds made by her clipped tongue yet the thoughts in his mind remained clear. The only Demon women still standing watch were Myra, Lilith and the tall, cold eyed woman who led him from his room earlier.

“Magic?” The thought he sensed from her mind most easily translated into the word magic but the sense of dread, of disgust that hung over the thought was far more intense than he felt towards the word.

”Men throwing fire, people exploding in massive bursts of magical energy? Sound familiar?” Her words shocking him into silence for a moment as his mind was filled with the disturbing scene from before.

The face staring up at him, threatening to steal away his strength as his heart paused. Breathe fled and his face lost all of its tenseness, vomit worked its way to the back of his throat and a hollow sensation filled his soul, words echoed through the hollow vessel of his body.

“Save them.”

The moment passed, and he returned to the conversation with barely even a pause in time. “Yes.” The only word he could manage in the face of such overwhelming emotions.

Lilith herself paused the conversation, as she stared into his eyes. She seemed to be on the verge of tears, but they disappeared in an instant. Almost convincing him that it hadn’t even occurred in the first place.

“We intend to track down the men and women participating in such arts as well as judge the guilt of those who are using them for self-interest.” The taller woman was looking over them both with judging eyes.

“So you need me to act as witness for the King? I didn’t see anything useful.” He was a little concerned about whether or not they’d consider his own guilt in some form.

“That’s for us to decide,” she took a deep breath, “We also have yet to determine whether your weapons involve the use of magic but I personally doubt it. I didn’t sense magic when you shot me, and I am not so useless as to miss such a thing.”

A little concern washed over him at the thought of his weapons being in their hands but he drowned out the thought as much as he could.

Lilith turned to the tall woman, speaking foreign words again, her expression intense. He felt distant as he was left out of the conversation again, and not willing to let the time pass without purpose he instead focused his attention on the presence in his mind.

What he had sensed as a breeze before, now felt a little more intense but no less gentle. Less like a breeze and more like waves gently lapping at the edge of a lake. When he focused on those waves he could hear their whispers, the sounds they made as they touched against the sand at his feet.

“Does he have to be naked?” the words filled with distress.

The taller woman spoke slowly and deliberately before his eyes, she seemed to be lecturing Lilith but the waves didn’t reflect her words as they did for Lilith’s. She didn’t seem to be as bothered by his state as Lilith, in fact her calm demeanour was masked only with a little concern towards the woman in front of her.

“No… I… I’m not a woman anymore! but…. He’s still a man!” For some reason, her conversation seemed to involve their genders but that made little sense to him. Though her no longer relating to being a woman confused him further, if she was no longer a woman then what was she? Did she somehow change into a man?

She turned a sharp eye at him, but it was the intense frustration that emanated from her that made his mind freeze, “I’m a warrior and that’s all you need to think about Krilm!” The thought so intense he felt it echo around his skull a number of times as she returned to her conversation.

The taller woman looked on with concern at their wordless interaction before pushing the conversation forwards.

Whatever Lilith heard brought the blood flowing to her face. “I’m not curious, but… shouldn’t he at least be wearing clothes. And what am I supposed to do if he tries anything?” He couldn’t understand her thoughts, he was wearing underclothes. Besides he was the only one who should care about how chillingly underdressed he was and he couldn’t imagine it was out of concern for his wellbeing.

”What do you mean? Look at him, he is not a child. If anything he looks older than me and I’ve seen kids half his age doing unspeakable things.” She was getting worked up, her face flushed and he sensed a strange emotion from her unlike anything he’d felt before. Like a small fire in his stomach, but it was in her stomach instead of his. The very concept of peaking in on her emotions was confusing enough but being confronted with this strange new emotion only made it worse.

“Can’t someone else do this?” She blushed again but he couldn’t get a clear understanding of her mixed emotions her eyes looked away from him.

Whatever she earned as a reply was not kindly spoken.

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“Fine,” she muttered clearly dissatisfied, “What do you need me to do then?”

The taller woman replied with a sharp note to her words as she began to lecture Lilith. She couldn’t manage to get a word in edgeways, her mouth opening only to close again as she was forced into silence by the taller woman’s tone of voice and presence.

Unable to make any sense of the conversation any longer Matt turned to Myra, whose hand was still supporting him. He opened his mouth but instantly realized he had nothing to say; or at least nothing she’d be able to understand. The most he could manage with her was a childish conversation through charades, so any deeper conversation like this was pointless even to bring up.

Noticing his hesitation Myra spoke up in a soft voice meant only for him, knowing her words were alien it was her soothing tone of voice that held meaning. She understood what he was going through, enough to comfort him at least. Her hand was still resting on his shoulder helping to stabilise him, although he didn’t focus too much on it he was still unable to stand on his own power without quickly falling back to the ground.

The conversation between Lilith and the woman he presumed to be her elder continued on before him, Lilith gradually becoming more irate the longer the conversation lasted. Feeling some desperate need to accomplish something while that conversation about him pushed forwards without his input, he instead focused his attention inwards to the part of his mind that was no longer completely his.

After a moment he found where the waves lapped at the shore of his own mind, in the movement of those waves he felt something that could only be considered life. They drew away from him, retreating away only the slightest as it built up strength before pushing forwards to reach out to his toes. They moved with a gentle consistency like the breath of the mind, or the beating heart of a person’s soul.

Shallow thoughts were reaching him as the water touched his feet, “How long will I have to play babysitter?” The water retreated for a breath before returning again. “Just shut up already.” Another breath. “I wonder what this boy soldier really is?”

The thoughts sometimes overlapping with many others that he simply couldn’t understand, even when they produced powerful emotions within him. “Why did #$%&#&%*#$##*$ and this $#%@%@$.” Anger, a seething rage and the feeling of loneliness assaulting him with the thought. The missing pieces making him feel as if he’d forgotten something important.

He opened his mind to the thoughts washing by him listening to the thoughts and emotions and trying to fill in the blanks, he had the feeling that what he was missing lay deeper at sea. Forgetting his purpose for coming here, enchanted by the feeling of anxiety that came with the half thoughts at his feet, he stepped forwards sinking deeper into the water.

“@%@@#!@#%#@$##%$@Matt$(&#@?@#!”

Still he did not find any answers only more thoughts jumbled even further beyond his recognition. His feet shifted as the sand slipped beneath them, shifting under his weight and raising clouds of dust that were caught by the current.

“What was that?” The thought faint barely even recognisable from its weak signature, a drifting recognition of his presence causing a swell in those oceans. A faint anxiety rose at the thought of being noticed, of being caught here but faded as the presence and swell within the oceans disappeared to depths unseen.

“#%*@&^#$%((*@#%)&#%*&$^”

The anxiety of confusion pushed him forwards again, as he sunk to his knees, here even the sand beneath his feet felt barely able to sustain his weight. He hesitated, these were not his thoughts, not his emotions driving him forwards. These were the emotions buried with her memories and her thoughts, dragging him deeper.

He shouldn’t be here, he shouldn’t be hearing these thoughts or feeling these emotions. That was why they confused him. Overcome by a pressing need to leave, he turned his back to the ocean.

As his foot lifted something snapped into place around his leg nearly tripping him even in this ephemeral place. A feeling of dread overcame him, as a towering presence rose at his back. Immense power flowed over him leaking in through every pore in his skin and chilling his heart.

The limb that was gripping his leg was soon joined by others, reaching around his body and his neck. “What a pleasure to meet someone new here, I implore you to stay a while longer…” The voice was jarring, the tones shifted without warning while the sounds were so mispronounced it sounded as if the voice came from a mouth never meant to speak human language. Though in this place perhaps it is more accurate to say a mind not meant to think human thoughts.

The limbs that clutched him were something like tentacles but not from any creature he’d ever read about. Covered in a thick slime they held him tightly but not so much that they strangled him, if that was even possible here. “Tell me, are you the human referred to by the sound Matt? You may refer to me as Grikith.”

His throat was blocked but not by the slimy muscle holding his neck in place, still he reached for the tentacle holding his neck. But before his fingers touched the limb, the ephemeral world faded.

Before him Lilith was closing her conversation with the other demon woman and turning his way. His heart still beat out of pace as she faced him, the feeling of the monsters limbs clutching so tightly onto him still gripping his body.

“Matt. I’m… Matt but…”

He was a little worried that when she spoke it would be the twisted voice that would come out but he needn’t have concerned himself over it.

“Yes we are past that. Sit, Krilm.” The voice in his head returns with some irritation evident, alongside her own voice audibly spoken. This was the second time he’d heard that word but this time he understood a little of the intention behind it. The word was filled with disgust but not the same as magic, rather than hate filled it was belittling.

He stood frozen for a moment, letting his uneasiness pass but one word slipped his lips as he recollected his perception of reality. “Why?”

“Because I’m the only one who can talk with you and because I said so.” She looked rather unimpressed and even a little stressed but thankfully she was replying in her normal voice. The waves at the back of his mind were more distant now, but he could no longer sense the presence that had assaulted him there, instead he could sense a feeling of anxiety and frustration emanating from the waves.

Not willing to anger her any further and still confused about what he’d just experienced, he carefully sat on the ground, falling at the last minute and catching himself with bloody hands. He noticed a number of fingernails missing with some kind of white poultice coating them. Perhaps he’d been out for longer than he’d assumed earlier. The bandaging on his arm was also surprisingly clean again.

He quietly thanked Myra for keeping him together, relaxing with his legs under him. It was certainly less painful than standing. As soon as he sat down somewhat comfortably Lilith speaks again.

“Now stand up.”

Stifling his annoyance he followed her commands, Myra helping him return to his feet with only a minor stumble on the way up.

“Turn in a circle clockwise.”

Again he obeyed.

“Put you hand to your nose.”

This game was starting to drag out for too long but for now he continued playing along.

“Do a backflip.”

“You first.” He spat without thinking, “The last time I tried that I was put in hospital for a week.”

She turns to the older woman and earns a short nod in return. Apparently they were done with having him act as their doll.

“What next? Get him to use his weapons?”

“Weapons?” he said stunned at the thought of using his weapons at their commands. He didn’t get any reply as she continued in her conversation.

“Do we really need to go so far for him. Surely we can commit the King to trial without this Krilm” The word felt empty, as she spoke without thought to its meaning. Apparently that was just his name to her now, the thought a little distressing.

She silently listened as the other woman replied.

“Fine, I’ll take him there now.” Her words accompanied with no small measure of annoyance as she snatched at his arm and hastily dragged him away. Struggling with Lilith’s titanic grip he was barely even able to see the direction he was being taken, which was towards the bright unfiltered sunlight apparently.

His sense of balance still twisted after his ordeal, he was nearly falling to the ground the entire time. Myra, although looking his way with concern, made no move to follow, instead speaking with the taller women now that they had left earshot.

“Slow down!” Matt called out instinctively, knees buckling under him as he lost strength in them momentarily.

She didn’t reply or even act as if she heard him, dragging him out into the bright light of day. Sunlight bore down on his tired eyes but he had little time to cope with the sudden change or to take in his surroundings, as he continued to be dragged without pause. By the time his eyes had properly adjusted to the light he was forced to kneel before a long bench covered in an odd collection of plant life and what he could only assume was animal carcass.

He wasn’t so ignorant to be unaware that this was food but it was the first time he’d seen a meal prepared like this outside of the pages of a textbook. Most of the food he’d eaten from childhood to adulthood was heavily processed and usually based off of genetically modified plants and meat grown in vats.

At first the images were disturbing to his eyes but his grumbling stomach combined with the delicious scent and the succulent sounds of food being consumed all around him quickly turned him in favour of this meal. He had heard it said that hunger was the best spice and now he was hungry enough that even this display of an improperly processed meal was enough to get his mouth watering.

His hand was reaching out the moment he sat at the table, instinctively reaching for the soup that was most familiar to the meals he usually ate. He stopped it short of snatching at the meal like a starved animal placed before a feast such as this.

For the first time he noticed the eyes on him bearing down with an intense curiosity. Some even carried hints of concern that were quickly hidden away again. Across the table from him sat the young woman who’d been observing his earlier struggles. Her expression was uniquely terrified unlike the Demon women at the same table.

Without means to speak with the girl the best he could manage to keep her from succumbing to fright was a nervous smile, the many eyes watching him making him feel patently uncomfortable. He turned to Lilith without speaking, knowing she wouldn’t give him proper answers anyway.

She was sitting in place beside him but with significant, uncomfortable distance between them compared to the others at the same table. He took note of how she sat on her legs with a regal appearance but he made no move to copy, as even trying to do so would cause nothing but more pain. Watching with careful eyes he observed how she was eating from the table serving herself one item on an empty plate before cutting into it with the utensils provided.

She finished the first serving before taking another helping from the table, hands moving with a delicacy not familiar to him. He moved with care to replicate her motions, but the utensils felt unnatural in his hands causing him to slip again and again.

He noticed that most of the other women around him tended to take a sampling of many different items before consuming them, unlike Lilith, though Matt needed all the plate space he could get to try and carve up his meal without spilling food all over the table. She seemed to notice him copying her but didn’t speak up, nevertheless he could feel an unpleasant aura from her direction.

The young girl who’d been watching as his mind was broken into earlier still sat frightened over the other side of the table but was considerably calmer now than she had been. Perhaps it was from watching him struggle uselessly to try and mimic the motions of everyone else at the table. Her own hands slipped as she tried to make use of the tools in her hands, she quickly dipped her hand down to snatch the food to her mouth when she thought no one was looking.

Even the small exercise of eating at a table was wearing down on his tired body, the effort straining him as the knife in his hand slipped free for the fourth time. A sudden motion close to his side grabbed his attention as the girl’s expression on the other side of the table suddenly grew more cheerful.

Hands still frozen in the act of cutting a tough fruit on his plate a large hunk of meat suddenly appeared in his face, forced into his jaws as he opened his mouth to call out in surprise. With a sudden storm of words Myra threw herself onto the cushion beside him, casually throwing a wave to the girl on the other side of the table and letting loose a greeting.

Still shocked at her appearance he forces down the first mouthful of juicy flesh, but before he can let out even a brief cry the leg is forced back into his mouth. Watching him struggle the girl started letting loose laughter at his expense.

Matt with some effort struggled to take the leg into his own grip, and away from Myra so that he could at least take a breath. Myra, who had appeared all so suddenly was already throwing herself into the meal with far less dignified motions than any of the others. She snatched food right off the table with her bare hands and tore at it with grunts that would do a soldier proud.

At her queue the young girl followed suit surrendering the useless utensils and snatching at the food with complete abandon. Apparently she’d been holding herself back as half the food at the table disappeared in a moment between Myra and herself.

Matt followed their lead finding their uncouth actions to be far more comfortable than the formality he’d been attempting before. The air at the table seemed to become much more relaxed afterwards, the others now speaking up loudly and talking to each other more amiably. He hadn’t even realized how cold the table had been until it had warmed up.

The young girl on the other side of the table was sharing words with Myra between mouthfuls, her words alien but her glances at Matt indicating topic clearly enough.

Myra spoke up as she swallowed back a large hunk of fruit, “Matt” she spoke casually indicating at him with a greasy leg of meat before waving the same leg at the girl, “Opi.”

Another strange name amongst many for him to memorize but if he lived long enough to memorize it then that was a kind of blessing of its own. “Opi, it’s nice to meet you.” He lowered his head slightly to the young girl earning an amazed look from her.

He hoped it wasn’t the wrong thing to do but soon she replied, “Matt.” She muttered the name, slightly mispronounced but still recognisable. It seemed her fear of him was quickly dissipating, she quickly followed up with more words that he couldn’t understand. Myra slapped his back and replied to the girl, spraying scraps of food from her mouth as she spoke.

Meanwhile Lilith was again bombarded with questions from all of the other women who were now far livelier since Myra’s appearance. “You’re all speaking over one another like a bunch of starving hounds snapping over a sliver of meat. Have at least a little self-respect and finish this meal first.” Her reply tinged with more than a little spite in their direction. Matt was starting to get the feeling that this girl didn’t get along with anyone very well.

At hearing her words the others quieted down for a moment, turning to each other and speaking quiet words. Even without understanding the meaning he could recognise their displeasure at Lilith’s words, who wouldn’t be angered at being compared to dogs?

Myra and Opi weren’t paying any mind to these events going on around them instead playfully waving food around as they spoke, occasionally trying to drag Matt into the conversation. Their cheerful nature infectious enough to force a smile to his lips as he was tutored the names of the foodstuffs he was eating.

“Kokri” Myra pointed at the purple fruit that was sitting half eaten on his plate. “Kokri.” She continued urging him to say it after her, making him feel a little like a child being taught how to speak for the first time.

“Kokri.” He repeated after her before eating a mouthful of the sour fruit, coated in a sweetly flavoured sauce. It was unlike anything he was used to eating, he could feel the fibres in the flesh of the fruit and it didn’t break apart in his mouth like he was used to from his processed fruit flavoured snacks.

“Kokrili!” Opi called out, shoving a whole portion in her mouth at once so that her cheeks were stuffed. He could understand why she was so fond of the fruit but was still a little discomforted by its strange texture. Giving up on his utensils he picked up the remnants on his plate and ate like he used to as a child.

Noticing the emptiness of his plate Myra slipped another piece of food onto it so quickly he didn’t even see when she did it, almost as if his plate was filling itself. He stared down at the new challenge, on his plate sat what looked mostly like a whole fish, but where he expected to see fins instead were thin tentacle like limbs.

The sight reminding him of the vision he’d had of that place in his mind, the creature that’d held him in vice grip and even made his mind unable to move in the slightest.

Remembering that he hesitated at the sight of the ‘fish’ in front of him. “Ikit.” Myra said, giving name to the fish like being. His stomach churned at the thought of placing any part of it in his mouth, the creature that had been alive not all too long ago. A creature which reminded him of the monster in his vision.

“Ikit.” The word left his mouth but he made no move to try and eat the thing. Elsewhere at the table he could hear conversation rising again, apparently Lilith’s cold nature wasn’t enough to keep them from trying to ease a little out of her. If anything it seemed as if they were even more determined than they were earlier to Lilith’s rather obvious disdain.

“What’s the bond like? You have all been through this more often than I have. If anything I don’t want to speak of it because it’s annoying, he’s annoying and most importantly you are all very annoying.”

Even this didn’t end their intensive line of questioning it seemed as her irritation only grew larger and their voices more persistent. Their conversation drew his attention away from Myra and the girl for a little too long and with only a brief “Ah” from Myra as warning a fork wrapped in slimy noodle like substance was forced into his mouth.

On the verge of spitting it up, he spun towards Myra who, alongside Opi were laughing at his reaction. “Ikit” Opi called out loudly.

The noodles had an interesting flavour to them, slightly spicy and tougher than he was used to. Finishing it off quickly he threw a look at Myra which only worked to fuel her laughter.

Lilith’s words interrupted his exchange yet again, “Ha! Intelligent? This Krilm starts speaking the same words as a 4 year old and your instant thought is that he’s intelligent? What low standards you must have.”

That particular statement managed to inspire some ire from the crowd of women slowly forming around them. Not wanting to drag Myra into the conversation but still not willing to let such a jibe go without reply Matt closed his eyes and thought as loudly as he could, “At least I’m smart enough to be able to figure out a person’s name when I’m told it.”

Without opening his mouth or looking her direction he still felt a wave of enmity wash over him from her direction. Myra, noticing Opi was starting to hear the unpleasant words being brandied around her, was putting more effort into her childish behaviour. Forcing food on the girl the same way she did with him moments ago; the girl distracted as she was didn’t see Myra coming and turned at just the wrong moment ending up with a serving of Kokri slapped against her cheek.

Her expression of shock and surprise brought a smile to Matt’s lips as he watched her suffer through a similar experience as he had at the hands of Myra. Feeling a little stronger after the meal, he was tempted to try his hand at revenge. Wrapping up a Kokri around his fork while Myra was still focused on the complaining Opi, he moved to quickly and quietly force the food on her the same way she had him.

Somehow in the moments that followed his attack was countered right back at him, ending up with him being the victim of Myra’s childish games again. Chewing down the last morsels while the other two continued laughed at his expense, he finally stared down at the ‘fish’ called Ikit, on his plate noticing the tentacles missing.

He decided it was probably best not to follow that line of investigation instead picking at the rest of the fish with his fork trying not to let its shape bother him.

The voices rowdily grew louder again, as the taller woman from earlier walked towards them carrying a large bundle wrapped in white cloth. He couldn’t make sense of their words but even Myra and Opi stopped playing around to watch as she approached.

It was then that Lilith spoke loudly to the group, “It is about time that we judge the guilt of this… Matt… being, for use of weapons suspected of being magical in nature.” Her voice sounded relaxed but he could feel a slight sense of fright accompanied by her thoughts.