Passing through the tunnel in the sea wall, Chloe and Ramone emerged in a complete ghost town. Villas made of palm wood flanked them on both sides, but they were noticably empty aside from a few occasional residents. Only merchants peddling carts and souvenirs remained in a great amount, mostly due to their stock requiring them to be there. They all offered uneasy looks on their faces.

"Poor richies," Rosemary cooed in Chloe's head. "Afraid of a maniac with a sword."

I'm not afraid, Chloe thought back. If he showed himself now, I could take him.

The guards lead them to the center of the town where a hotel stood high in the sunset. It was shaped like an enormous palm tree and the words, "Shady Palm Resort and Spa" glistened in red-orange lettering. A sunbaked brick patio with several blue and white brollies offered further shade and upon closer inspection there were plates of well prepared seafood broils on my very table.

"Surely this place can't be too bad," Ramone said as he watched a woman sipping a red margarita. "A couple of those and I'll forget all about this killer."

Chloe's stomach gurgled too.

"Did I hear a tummy rumbling?" a very suave voice answered.

Chloe and Ramone looked up to see a very handsome man in a tuxedo. His hair was silver blond and his eyes a light shade of purple. He carried a tray at his side and a matching purple scarf around his neck. "Mercy me," Ramone remarked. "The service truly is excellent here."

The debonaire man chuckled. "But I haven't served you yet."

"That's not the kind of service he's talking about!" Chloe said, rolling her good eye.

"Bonjour," the man said in an accented voice. "I will be your waiter. The name is Rene."

"Ooh la la," Ramone said and he placed his hands on Chloe's shoulders. "Dinner for two?"

"Please child," Rosemary begged. "Kick the goatman in his pants please."

Rene laughed. "I hope you mean you and the child right? I've still got a full shift until quarter to 12"

"Cruelly shot down," Ramone remarked and casually tossed his hooves aside. "Make that a double martini then."

Rene guided them to a table. As they sat, a lonely band of Fishysauz fish people with clarinets and guitars made of coral strummed and blew a melancholy tune. Chloe gazed out around the town, but the biggest movement was the ocean wind blowing fragments of leaves and bark along the ground.

"To think," Rene said, wistfully staring out in the open. "This is peak tourist season and nobody's here."

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"This killer hooligans really got everybody on their toes," Ramone said as he shifted through the leaflets menu. "Fortunately, Queen Annabell and I are only dining here before we depart to green pastures!"

"Good idea," Rene said. "I'd hate for the queen herself to get caught up in all of this."

I wouldn't mind getting caught up in this if I can gain a new comrade, Chloe wanted to say, but instead she nodded in agreement.

The waiter took their orders and returned fifteen minutes later balancing a platter of mussels marinara (for Chloe) and a palm leaf salad with an apple martini for Ramone. "Bon appetit!" Rene grinned. "We got your order extra fast because nobody's here. Enjoy!"

"Oh I will," Ramone smiled, sipping his martini and eyeing the waiter.

"Wee wee!" The satyr hiccuped, causing Rene to quickly walk over to a table of young women.

Ramone sighed and licked the salt off his glass. "At least I have you, my lusciously sweet martini. Where are we heading next my queen?"

Chloe gazed out over the sea wall. The foreboding black storm clouds that had rolled over the Mainland were heading straight for Shady Palms.

"Unfortunately, my queen," the nearby guard said. "Bad weather is arriving. We might be rained in until tomorrow. We have already prepared a vacation house for you and your friend."

As Chloe picked the mussels out of their shells and chewed them, she leaned on her hand.

Seems we got our wish, Rosemary, she thought to the demon eye. There's only one way I'm getting revenge on Fienmond and it's by finding people as blood thirsty as he is.

"Just be wary," Rosemary cackled. "Mr. Swordswinger doesn't stab you first and ask questions later."

The clouds rumbled after they finished dining, and Ramone and Chloe were guided to their villa. It was a large house with two bedrooms, a kitchen, a dining room and two bathrooms-Enough space for her and her full grown satyr friend. The house, patterned and ridged like the lines of a palm tree offered a quality shelter from the storm. As they sat in the dining room, watching the rain patter on the glass. Chloe gazed out the window, looking into the swirling black abyss of the storm. It reminded her of the night Fienmond had claimed the lives of her parents and partial control over her mind.

"Good news, my lady," Ramone said as he wrapped himself in a blanket as he sat on a cushy chair. "This rain may stop us from leaving, but at least, this Django maniac probably won't want to catch his death in it."

"Never underestimate the will of a maniac in a rainstorm," Chloe muttered, imagining Fienmond's blazing red eye beneath his cloak.

"Luckily," Ramone said, pulling out another apple martini from his blanket. "I won't have to think about that. I'll sleep peacefully through the night!"

"You do that, Rammy," Chloe said with a small smile. "I'll try to get some rest myself...as much as I can."

Chloe and Ramone retired to their rooms and Chloe, not wanting to think much about her time in Dedlam climbed into bed. Surely, she'd probably dream the same awful dream about Fienmond but after watching the Moonshadow sacrifice his life for her, she didn't want to think about that either.

"Life bites…" she pouted.

But either give up now, Rosemary teased, or get over it. Like I have.

Chloe closed her eye and began to drift into slumber.

A few hours seemed to pass in the unconscious before she was awoken by a rustling in the room. Chloe blinked her eyes, trying to adjust them to the darkness. Was anyone there?

The house itself was heavily guarded by her royal naval guards so an undetected intruder was unlikely.

Without a single noise something or someone dropped from the ceiling. "R-Rammy…" Chloe stuttered feeling a bit unnerved by all this.

She crawled to the edge of the bed when suddenly a figure rose up. The figure was dressed in all black. Their face was covered entirely except for a small slit for two dark brown eyes. Without warning, the figure raised the sword and pointed it at her neck.

"Django," she gasped.