Searching the tower turned out to be primarily a waste of time. There was a considerable amount of old maps and a few more journals, all of which Bert could now read well enough to tell they were absolutely useless.
Bert felt like he was covered in an inch of dust by the time they finished. He was leaning against the wall outside the tower while he got some fresh air and enjoying a fresh breeze in the evening air when he felt a faint thrum of energy run through the building.
Looking up, he saw the bricks where he had been leaning were glowing with a faint blue light.
Pressing a hand against them, he felt the thrum of mana running inside. He added a thin thread of mana, and the glow spread. With a slight frown, he did it again, noticing the glow was only covering one side of the building.
As he continued to pour mana into the structure, he noticed the glow changed colors in some areas while remaining the same in others.
Getting excited now, he poured even more mana into the faintly glowing stones. It took a good few minutes, but eventually, the whole side of the tower glowed with mana.
The daylight was still bright enough to obscure the pattern, so Bert summoned a chair from his storage and sat down to wait.
After a few minutes, Wendy walked over and sat down next to him, summoning her own chair.
“Hi,” She said.
“Hey, how’s your day been?” He asked, his eyes flicking to her before returning to the tower.
“Insufferable,” She sighed. “The book demanded its own room.”
“Really?” Bert laughed. “What for?”
“It and I’m quoting here, required a room for supplicants to appreciate its power.” She rolled her eyes. “The third time it demanded a bigger lectern, Scruff threatened to mulch it.”
“Did it work?” Bert asked.
“Not really,” Wendy grinned. “But it was fun watching it write swear words in dozens of different languages at her.”
“Are you okay?” Bert asked. “I know a lot has changed recently.”
“We have a daycare now,” Wendy pointed out. “It is currently occupied by a gnork skeleton called Tim and a toddler called Betty, who is apparently death’s daughter.” She huffed. “It kind of makes your head spin.”
“Not exactly what I meant,” Bert said.
“I know,” Wendy said, looking up at the tower, “I’m glad you and Mom are together now,” She hesitated, “But there is something bothering me.”
“What?” Bert asked.
“Are you guys going to have kids?” Wendy asked.
“I-what?” Bert felt his brain short circuit.
“You know, kids.” She waved vaguely, “Baby pixies, or half pixies, or whatever.”
“No plans,” Bert admitted. “I guess I never really thought about it. Why?”
“If you have proper kids, what happens to me?” She asked.
“What do you mean proper kids?” Bert asked. “You’re our proper kid.”
“I mean,” She gave him a look, “Kids from birth.”
“How are they any different from you?” Bert asked.
“I was never a kid, you know that,” Wendy said. “I was an accident.”
“Listen,” Bert tried to keep his voice calm. “You are my PROPER daughter. It doesn’t matter HOW you were born. You are my daughter, mine, and Bell’s. End of story. Nothing changes that, ever.”
“You look pissed off,” Wendy said, wincing.
“I am,” Bert admitted carefully. “If anyone else said you weren’t my proper daughter or called you an accident… I think I’d kill them.”
“Sorry,” Wendy sighed. “It’s silly, but I worry, you know?”
“Well, stop.” Bert laughed. “You are the best thing ever, so stop thinking anything will change that?”
“Even if I become a serial killer?” Wendy joked.
“Just try and get the bodies to Scruff for her garden,” He smiled. “Becoming a serial killer doesn’t mean you can be messy.”
They sat in silence for a bit.
“Thanks, Dad,” Wendy said eventually. “I guess I can be a bit of an idiot sometimes.”
“It’s not your fault,” Bell said, zipping over and plopping herself down on Bert’s shoulder. “You get that from your father.”
“Yup,” Bert grinned. “Every bit of it.”
“The killing,” Bell admitted. “That’s probably more from me.” She grinned. “We’re a very stabby family.”
==================
Scruff watched Lily and Rose arguing again while she was teasing a particularly promising new metal bloom. It was almost right. The petals were fine-grade steel but not quite at sky metal levels yet.
She nursed the little flower along. She now needed to cross-breed with a mana-heavy plant to push it over the edge. The only problem was that the most mana-heavy plants she had were all in the shed.
The floating flower creatures were… fascinating, but they were also voracious. The large flowers that made up their bodies were absolutely filled with mana, while their delicate roots beneath trailed through the air, looking for food.
And they would literally eat anything. That was why they were kept in the shed. The Waystation fed them pure mana directly, and so far, she had been unable to take even a single one of them for cross-breeding without the little bugger draining the other plant before she could finish the process.
They were darlings; they just had self-control issues.
Watching Rose sneer at Lily, Scruff knew how her plants felt. It took everything she had not to send a stray tendril off to Rose and tear her apart.
Her other life, the one on the streets of a shitty city, was still with Scruff. She had seen enough people like Rose to last her a lifetime.
Seeing Rose spit at Lily and stomp off back towards the central part of the Waystation, Scruff snapped a little.
She pulled the little plant up by the roots. It was close but nowhere near what she needed.
Another failure.
She strode over to the shed and threw the little plant to her floating friends. They always appreciated her failed experiments.
“Sorry if we distracted you,” Lily said behind her.
“You can’t let her treat you that way,” Scruff said as kindly as she could, turning to frown down at the little half-pixie. “It never ends until you make them respect you.”
“I know,” Lily looked forlorn, “I just keep hoping she will snap out of it.”
“There’s nothing to snap out of,” Scruff shook her head, “This is just how she is.”
“You talk like you’ve been there?” Lily asked.
“Yup.” Scruff grinned savagely. “And I learned the hard way, too.”
“So, telling me my sister is a hopeless case, is you being nice?” Lily asked.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“I never said hopeless, and no, it was me being bitchy.” Scruff grinned. “If I was nice, I would have waited till there was no one around and fed her to my plants.”
“I think we may have different definitions of nice,” Lily said tactfully. “But you think there is hope?”
“There’s always hope.” Scruff grinned.
“You’re pretty scary, you know that?” Lily offered.
“Me? I’m just the farmer,” Scruff laughed. “It’s the stuff I grow that gets scary.”
“No, it’s definitely you,” Lily said. “But what can I do to help my sister?”
“Just still be there when she comes to you,” Scruff shrugged. “Because she is going to need a sister when she does.”
“Do you think she will?” Lily asked.
“I know she will,” Scruff bent down to tend a small tendril, just starting to poke its head above the soil.
“How do you know?” Lily asked.
“Have you seen all those little blue flowers all over the Waystation?” Scruff asked Lily.
“Yeah, they’re really pretty,” Lily said.
“They see you, too.” Scruff grinned. “And they have just seen your sister sneak into the Barn and the Book of Secret’s room.”
Lily went pale.
“Don’t worry, kid.” Scruff grinned as a shriek came from over the walkway. “Bell wasn’t born yesterday.”
A Multi-Bell appeared next to Scruff with a little ‘Pop’ noise.
“Bell wants the girl held until she is done with family time,” It said and flew over to pet a flower.
“Got it,” Scruff nodded as a bunch of vines exploded out of the ground next to her and rapidly reached across. “And got her.” Scruff smiled as the vines dragged the struggling Rose back over the bridge and hung her upside down in front of the cottage.
“Please, don’t hurt her,” Lily sighed. “She’s…”
“She’s family, I get it.” Scruff said lightly. “And don’t worry. Bert and Bell are really good at creative punishments.”
Scruff kept an eye on Lily while Rose blustered, threatened, and cajoled to be let down. It was almost laughable.
Lily’s pleading voice, however, was setting Scruff’s teeth on edge. Had she sounded that pathetic when she begged her friend to change?
She looked up when she heard a happy whistling noise she recognized as Bell contemplating something violent.
“Hey, Scruff,” Bell waved happily. “Come over with me?”
“Sure,” Scruff wiped the mud off her hands and patted the Waystation's ground in thanks before standing up.
“Way Way really likes that you do that,” Bell said, a faint whooshing noise accompanying her change to human-sized as she dropped to the floor.
“Well, they always give me a hand when I’m working,” Scruff just shrugged.
“Yeah,” Bell said as she led them over to the struggling Rose. “It’s weird; they don’t normally do that with people not bound to them.”
“I’m a farmer,” Scruff shrugged. “We kind of have our own bond with our land, I guess.”
“Yeah,” Bell gave her a look. “More than you know.”
“What?” Scruff asked.
“Nothing!” Bell smiled happily. “Now, what are we going to do with you, little Rose?”
“I was tricked!” Rose said immediately. “Lily asked me to get her the book! I thought I was just doing the right thing!”
Lily just gaped at her sister.
Bell laughed and reached out a hand to shut Lily’s mouth for her.
“Next?” Bell asked.
“What?” Rose blanched. “Next what?”
“Excuse, lie, apology, your choice.” Bell’s cold smile even gave Scruff the willies, and she wasn’t the one in trouble. At least, she didn’t think so.
“You can’t make me say anything!” Rose said at last. “I’m not under your control, not anymore.”
“Very true,” Bell said happily. “But you are under my protection.”
“I’m in your Court; you have to protect me.” Rose smiled smugly. “I know that much.”
Bell laughed long and hard.
“Oh honey, where did you get that idea?” Bell said at last.
“I was told…” Rose trailed off, looking uncertain.
“By the Wild Fae?” Bell asked. “The ones not in a Court?” She added sweetly.
“But…” Rose started.
“I can do what I like to you, little one. You are a member of my Court, and I can skin you alive for shits and giggles if I like.”
Lily went even paler and opened her mouth to beg, but Bell simply put her hand over Lily’s mouth.
“Or maybe I should do it to Lily instead while you watch?” Bell said, her voice almost feral.
“What?” Rose demanded. “Don’t you touch her!”
“You or her. Your choice.” Bell said in a voice so cold Scruff felt her blood run cold. What the fuck? Bell was never…. And then Scruff started to smile.
“What are you smiling for?” Rose asked, aghast.
“I’m just looking forward to the show,” Scruff laughed.
“Choose now, or I do it to both of you,” Bell said nastily.
“Lily!” Rose screamed, “Skin her, not me! I choose Lily!”
“Wow,” Scruff shook her head. “That’s fucking cold.”
Bell turned to the trembling Lily and forced her to face her sister.
“I was never going to skin someone,” Bell said in Lily’s ear. “But I wanted you to see her, really see her. When push came to shove, she chose herself.”
“I knew it was a trick!” Rose protested.
“Shut up, Rose,” Lily said quietly. “Just for once, shut up.”
“Run along and keep Bert and Wendy company, Lily,” Bell said. “They get crazy ideas if you leave them alone too long.” Lily hesitated, “Go on, I won’t hurt her, I promise.” Bell said with a kind smile.
“Yes, Bell.” Lily sighed and walked off towards the bridge with a heavy tread.
“Poor kid,” Scruff said, watching her go.
“She’ll be fine,” Bell said dismissively. “She’s got plenty of people to look after her now.”
They watched Lily climb the stairs and vanish over the bridge.
“Now!” Bell turned to Scruff and put a hand on Scruff’s shoulder. “For this next part, I want you to know something.”
“Okaay,” Scruff felt a little nervous. At that moment, something in Bell’s eyes truly terrified her.
“You are not just our friend or even just like a daughter to us. You are the woman my daughter loves, and it is very important that you know how much you mean to us.”
“I’m not going to like the next bit, am I?” Scruff said, fighting back tears from what Bell had just told her.
“Not even a little bit,” Bell said. “And you can not tell anyone what I am about to do, ever!”
“Okay,” Scruff winced as Bell turned away and grabbed Rose around the neck. She closed her eyes as Bell pulled Rose out of the vines.
There was a distinct lack of neck-breaking noises over the next few seconds, so Scruff risked opening one eye.
Bell was hugging Rose to her tightly. She was stroking the girl’s hair and rocking her gently as Rose sat frozen and terrified.
“Now, Rose,” Bell said at last. “I’m so sorry for the life you had to live before you came here. It was hard and nasty and horrible.” She pulled Rose in for another hug. “But! That doesn’t mean you can become just as nasty, hard, and heartless as that life was.” She stroked Roses’ hair. “We live forever, and the way you are going, it's going to be a very long and horrible life. Also, a lonely one.”
“I can change!” Rose said, “I will! I’ll change right now!”
“No,” Bell said softly. “You won’t.” Bell wiped a tear from Rose’s cheek. “Not as you are now. I’m afraid I’m going to have to break you into itty bitty pieces, and then we can build you back up into someone nice. Okay?”
“Break me? You’re going to kill me?” Rose asked, horrified. “Torture me?”
“No!” Bell laughed. “I’m not going to harm you.” The laugh died suddenly. “I’m going to break your mind down until all the nasty is gone.”
“How?” Scruff asked with a fascinated horror.
“I’m going to make her into that servant she so desperately wanted to be.” Bell grinned. “You are going to do everything anyone tells you to do, not because of some oath,” Bell laughed a wicked little laugh, “But because of what I will do to you if you don’t.”
“What-what will you do?” Rose asked, proving herself both stupider and braver than Scruff had ever given her credit for.
“Scruff,” Bell said, standing up and carrying the Half-Pixie one-handed with no apparent effort. “We need to see the Shed.”
“Uh,” Scruff felt her blood drain. “It is kind of occupied.”
“I know,” Bell said, walking across the fields.
Scruff noticed every plant move aside for her as she walked and felt the shivery feeling of goosebumps covering her body,
The plants didn’t even do that for her.
Scruff ran to catch up but was too late. Bell threw the door open to the teeming flowers.
Scruff froze in shock as they all simply… floated there. Not one tried to escape or to feed.
“What are they?” Rose asked.
“Here, let me show you,” Bell said. She reached out a hand, and one of the floating plants came forward, its roots pale and wispy as they reached for Rose.
A stream of mana was pulled from Rose at once, who shivered and groaned.
“This is what I will do,” Bell said as the flower kept feeding. “I’ll leave you in there, and they will feed on you, over and over and over. Forever.”
“Please!” Rose struggled uselessly. “Stop it.”
Bell flicked her hand, and the plant stopped immediately, floating back to join the others. She closed the door and threw Rose to the floor at Scruff’s feet.
“You work for Scruff now,” Bell said sweetly. “Now, remember, they are always hungry and always there.”
Rose nodded frantically, clinging to Scruff in terror.
“Where did those things come from?” She asked Bell.
“She made them,” Bell said, pointing fondly to Scruff.
Rose scrambled away from Scruff as if she was on fire.
“How long?” Rose asked. “How long until I can go back to be with Lily?”
“Until you are a good person who appreciates her sister,” Bell said. “If that is a week or a century is really up to you.”
Rose scowled, only to scream as the door to the shed flew open. She ran for the cottage as it drifted slowly closed.
“That was… terrifying,” Scruff said to Bell.
“Never fuck with a pixie,” Bell laughed. “Our dark side is so deep you’ll drown before you even reach the bottom.”
“Uh huh,” Scruff said. “Good to know.” She swallowed, her mouth dry.
Bell clapped her hands, and the darkness in her seemed to vanish like the sun came out from behind a cloud. “Now, let’s go see what Bert found at that tower.”
“Sure,” Scruff said. “I’d love to be around other people right now.” And not just alone with you, she added to herself.
“Hah!” Bell laughed. “Scaredy cat, if that scared you, just wait until you piss my daughter off!” She winked at Scruff. “I have decades of practice dealing with my anger and am not partly a massive steel death machine!”
“Good point,” Scruff laughed. “Luckily, I don’t plan to piss her off.”
“Aww, that’s adorable!” Bell laughed. “As if it’s up to you.”