Enter Ayralef - Part XIV

AFTER THE BATTLE

Working in the kitchen of the convent was like taking a stroll down memory lane for Lea Landau.

Right now, several hundred citizens of Angkora sat in the cafeteria, having a hot meal to not only fill their stomachs, but to take their minds off of what was going on outside. They were safe under the barrier, but many still had relatives and friends out there fending for themselves. To take their minds off of their worries, it was decided food would help restore a little bit of normalcy and calm. And that was why Lea was now here. She had volunteered to help wash dishes as the regular nuns of the convent busied themselves with cooking and serving.

Very little had changed in the eight years since she’d left these halls. Dishes and cups were still in the same cupboards; barrels containing meat, potatoes, and seasonal vegetables were still separated and stationed in specific areas; and the large bread oven still produced a pleasant-smelling haze that wafted through the kitchen as it baked tray upon tray of loaves.

The only thing that had changed, Lea reflected, as she had her arms buried up to the elbows in soapy water in the dish washing sink, was the staff. Most of the nuns working here were new. Many young girls from around the city worked here for a few years straight out of school before finding husbands or other jobs for themselves. Some of the girls were homeless or penniless. Orphans taken in by Mother Lesona and put to an honest living instead of scraping an existence out of garbage cans on the street. And every so often, someone like Lea would come through; a refugee from another world who did not come to Ayralef willingly. Regardless what the circumstances, seldom did anyone stay here forever. The life of a Nun was better than a life on the streets, but it was still a simple life meant only for those who had no other choice. Lea only knew one or two girls who had been here since she was a resident nun herself. A few ‘lifers’ who had devoted their entire existence to the church. Those were the ones who helped Alastazia keep this particular convent afloat.

As she busily scrubbed each new dish that was dumped in the sink, Lea found herself oddly reflective. The last time she’d plunged her arms into this sink, she had been one of those refugees herself. Immediately after coming to this world and meeting Crisis, she’d been shipped off to Angkora. She and many other survivors from Balfrezagg were carted to this church and taken in by Alastazia Lesona. And here she had stayed for close to two full years.

It had been hard at first, Lea recalled. She was an angry, distrustful little thing, who would sooner bite the hand that fed her than let her guard down. She was convinced humans were only good for one thing: betrayal. Anyone who tried to befriend her would get coldly rebuffed. Mother Lesona showed an extraordinary level of patience dealing with Lea, and Lea did not make it easy on her. Only when Crisis came to visit periodically did Lea brighten up and lower her barriers.

It was Crisis who helped her come to terms with humanity. The naga was friendly with everyone, and they with her. It seemed everywhere she went she brightened peoples’ day. She treated everyone as a friend until they proved otherwise; something that did not happen very often. This attitude was infectious. Lea had been stubborn, but slowly she began to branch out as well. She began to forget the deprivations of her previous life. The nightmares and flashbacks faded as Crisis completely rewired Lea’s outlook on life. Lea slowly learned that kindness wasn’t just a façade one used to get their way. It was a genuine attitude borne from a general love of the people around you. Lea had been that way once upon a time, but Balfrezagg had beaten it out of her. Crisis showed her how to be that way again.

But Lea still had no place to belong to. Even as others from her world steadily moved on with their lives, finding jobs and homes outside the convent, Lea lingered. Mother Lesona did not complain, but she knew what was truly holding her back. Lea was afraid to take that first step on her own out into the world of Ayralef.

Until that fateful day when Crisis came visiting with another. He was a young officer named Corbin Landau, a dashing young fellow with very much the same wide open demeanor as Crisis. His eyes were honest, his smile was pure and unfiltered, and it did not hurt that he was very handsome to boot. Lea was struck dumb at first, but she very quickly warmed up to Corbin. By the end of that first day she knew she was in love. She knew it by the way she looked forward to the next time she could see him. She even dreamt about him that first night.

After a six month courtship, Corbin decided to propose to Lea. Lea accepted, and from that moment on, she finally had a place in this world. She was no longer a stranger! After the wedding she moved out of the convent and into the Landau Estate. Crisis became her familiar, and practically her sister. Lea got an education, learned to harness her own unique brand of magical potential, then got a job as a teacher at the same university from which she graduated. Life was good. The only thing that could possibly make it better at this point was a child.

Maybe, Lea considered, it was long past time she and Corbin took that step. The very thought caused her face to crack open with a bright smile and a rosy blush.

“Somebody looks suddenly cheerful,” a voice chided from out of nowhere.

Lea blushed even fiercer when she turned her head and realized it was Celia, Mother Lesona’s assistant; the Primal Nun. Celia was a “lifer” whom Lesona had found in the streets. A twelve year old girl literally digging through a garbage can for scraps. No family, no memories, no identity. Celia was the name Alastazia had given her as she took her in. She was Mother Lesona’s first nun, had been here almost every bit as long as the current head of the church, and by now was an expert at grooming orphans into young ladies through devotion and faith. Ten years ago, she hadn’t been as proficient at the job, and Celia and Lea butted heads constantly, often getting into fisticuffs over the littlest problems. The last decade had seen both of them mature and bury the hatchet. If one were to discount Crisis, Celia was probably Lea’s oldest friend on Ayralef.

“And you still have a gift for sneaking up on me,” Lea splashed Celia with some sink water.

“It’s not like I was trying,” Celia dodged the splash. “You seemed to be pretty deep in thought. Remembering old times?”

“You could say that,” Lea looked around the kitchen wistfully. “This was the first place I could truly call home, after all.”

Celia nodded. “Yeah, and I’ll bet that led you to thinking about your husband, given that smile you just had on your face. You were standing practically in this exact spot when Crisis dragged him in here.”

“That’s right,” Lea laughed. “And you were peeling potatoes not ten feet away at that center island.”

“Your memory is as sharp as mine,” Celia admitted. “I was flirting my butt off trying to get him to notice me, but he seemed only to have eyes for you from the moment he saw you. You and that song-like voice snagged him like a Mermaid snags a sailor at sea.”

Lea sighed, still blushing slightly. “Just imagine if he had fallen for you instead. Maybe you would be Miss Celia Landau and I would be in your position.”

“I don’t regret it. To be honest, I probably would have stayed here anyway,” said Celia. “After Mother Lesona saved me, I owe her my life. Running this convent is what I was meant to do.”

“Speaking of whom, where is Alastazia? I haven’t seen her since we gathered all the civilians in the rectory.”

Celia furrowed her brow. “Good question. Last I saw her she was clutching that skull in her hands and glaring at it like it had wronged her in some way. Then she turned and went down the hall toward her office. Maybe that’s where she is.”

“Strange,” Lea put her hand to her chin and mirrored Celia’s expression. “Maybe one of us should go check on her. She seemed frustrated that she couldn’t break that spell that was running the skeletons.”

“I’m a little busy right now coordinating the kitchen,” Celia gestured to the chaos around them. “So I can’t go. Maybe you should go. A noble lady like you shouldn’t be stuck washing dishes anyway.”

“I don’t mind doing a little dirty work,” Lea argued. “Just because I married into nobility doesn’t mean I’ve forgotten how to do menial chores.”

“I was just kidding,” Celia chuckled. “But still, you should go check on her since you’ve known her the longest besides me. I’ll get another girl to take over for you.”

Lea dried her hands on a dish cloth and hung it on the edge of the basin. “If you insist…”

Minutes later, Lea rapped her knuckles on the wooden door that served as the portal to Mother Lesona’s office. “Alastazia, are you in there?”

“Is that you, Lea?” the voice that came back seemed distracted. “I’m a little busy at the moment.”

“I’m coming in,” Lea announced, pulling the door open and stepping inside.

Lea nearly tripped over something not five feet into the room. She caught herself and looked down at what she had blunted her foot on. It was a book.

“I think you dropped something, Mother,” Lea bent down and picked the book up. “I almost killed myself tripping over this… book…” her voice trailed off as she looked around the room and saw that there were more than simply one book on the floor. In fact, in some places the books were stacked haphazardly. The shelves that the books were supposed to be resting on were practically empty.

Alastazia Lesona was standing near one of the book shelves, paging through yet another tome in rapid fashion. She seemed to be looking for something contained in one of these books. And judging by the state of the room, it seemed to be something important enough to throw tidiness out the window.

“Can I help you find something?” Lea asked, still looking around the room in bemusement.

Lesona slammed the book she was holding shut and dropped it onto a stack just to her left, then grabbed another book off of the shelf in front of her. “All these books and none of them seem to have the information I’m seeking,” she said as she rifled through the pages.

“Where’s the skull you had with you?” asked Lea. Her own question was answered by a rattling noise that drew her gaze to Alastazia’s desk. She looked and saw a metal chest padlocked shut and seemingly moving on its own. Lea walked over to the desk and picked the chest up, feeling it shake as the skull inside jostled for freedom. “Does the mess you’re making in here have something to do with this?”

“I’m looking for a counter-curse I can use to break this spell,” said Lesona bitterly. “I even tried a few already. But the hex is too strong. I can’t break it unless I decode the original formula. So now I’m trying to see if any of my collection has the language this necromancy is bound in.”

Lea put the chest back down where she found it and walked over to the priestess. “Not that I’m complaining, but you know you have plenty of time. There’s no need to push yourself to find a cure right this instant.”

“I know that,” Lesona said, even as she continued scanning the book she was holding. Her brow was creased with concentration and frustration.

“If you know that, then why--?”

“Because it’s the task I’ve been entrusted with!” Alastazia slammed the book down. Lea reflexively took a step back from the outburst.

The priestess took a moment to lean against the bookshelf and take a few breaths to calm down. “I’m sorry, Lea… It’s just… I’ve already failed someone today and I don’t want to fail again.”

Lea took a few seconds to wonder what Lesona was talking about before coming to a realization. “Is this about the other me?”

“I couldn’t cure her, Lea,” Lesona’s expression was drawn with guilt. “Worse yet, I think I only made things worse for her. She was depending on me. I could see the hope written on her face when I made her that promise; and then I watched as that hope melted away. Nothing I said could comfort her. I sent her back to that world with a curse that might get her killed. I’m so ashamed of myself… And now here I am again, confronted with a curse I cannot undo. I feel so unworthy of the title ‘Maiden of Blessings’ right now. I need more knowledge. I need… more power!”

Lea could see Lesona’s eyes glisten with unshed tears. She stepped forward and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Lea hasn’t gone home yet. That attack this morning prevented it. We may yet have time to fix both problems. But if you push yourself too hard you’ll break down before you have a chance to help anybody. Nobody is infallible, Mother. At times like these you have to remind yourself of the numerous lives you have made better. Let me help you. You’ve done so much for me… it’s the least I can do.”

Alastazia turned to face Lea and smiled. “Thank you, Lea. I suppose someone as skilled at magic as you are would be a fine help. Let’s head downstairs to the library and see if we can’t find what I need down there.”

*****

“Lea, are you okay?”

Crisis’ voice shook Lea out of her dark thoughts. She turned her head to look at the blonde naga, who was regarding her with concerned curiosity.

“Vivian didn’t do anything to you, did she?” Crisis asked.

Lea reflexively brought her right hand up to touch the middle of her chest. Ever since Vivian had plunged her hand into that spot, it felt cold. Not cold to the touch, but it felt as though a block of ice had been placed right next to Lea’s heart. Was it just nerves? Or did Vivian do something besides remove Lea’s curse? She found herself glancing over toward the naga sorceress, who was now being loaded onto a prison carriage along with her servant, Kain. Angkoran soldiers had been flown in at the behest of Belletia, who seemed to relish in taking command of the situation.

“No… nothing…” Lea said hesitantly. “It’s nothing…”

With a slam, the door to the wagon closed, and finally Vivian was out of Lea’s line of sight. She felt a bit of her negative feelings lift with relief, but doubt still gnawed at her. She watched as a pair of Centaur Soldiers pulled the cart off toward downtown Angkora.

“Are you sure? You look like you’re going to be sick,” said Crisis.

Lea turned her face away, her eyes filling with tears. Should she tell her everything? Should she ask for help? That would be the logical thing to do, but for some reason she felt compelled to hide her dilemma for now.

“I was just… so scared,” she admitted. And that much was the truth at any rate. Black Vivian was so much like the one she knew, yet in this world she was so much more sinister and intimidating. Lea wondered if she ever got back home, would she be able to even look at her own Vivian the same way ever again?

Crisis threw her arms around Lea’s waist and hugged her tightly. “It’s alright now, Lea. We have you back. And now we can get back to the business of getting you home.”

“What are you two doing??” a sharp voice squawked. Both girls reflexively jumped and released one another.

Lea looked and saw Belletia striding toward them. Immediately, Lea felt her heart squeeze. On her world, Belletia was her enemy, constantly watching and waiting for an opening to devour Lea! She looked different in Ayralef… less wild, more regal. But old habits die hard. If not for Crisis’ presence, she might have took off running for her life.

Belletia stopped in front of them, glowering between the two.

“What now?” Crisis glowered back.

Belletia’s eyes focused on Lea, causing the human girl to gulp nervously. The harpy leaned in and studied her from an uncomfortably close distance. What did she want?

“Amazing… You really do look exactly like her!” stated Belletia after a long moment of scrutiny.

Lea blinked, taken aback by the comment.

“Well, it was a little hard for me to swallow, but I guess you really are her sister,” Belletia pulled away and put her wings on her hips. “Hm. Lara, was it?”

“Uhhhh… Y-yeah,” Lea stammered, barely remembering her ruse.

“I guess this must be your first time in Angkora,” stated Belletia. “It’s too bad it had to go like this. But don’t worry, you’re safe now.” Belletia smirked, puffed her chest out and placed a wing proudly over her breast. “Thanks to me, you’re safe… and Black Vivian is now in custody!”

Crisis rolled her eyes and folded her arms. “Right… It was totally all you, Bell,” she muttered sarcastically.

Belletia ignored Crisis and moved in close to Lea, throwing her wing around the girl’s shoulders. “But I’m surprised you were kidnapped so easily. You must have quite the untrustworthy familiar to allow that to happen.”

Lea blushed at the sudden proximity, noting that Belletia was wearing some kind of perfume. “Well… I…”

“She doesn’t have a familiar right now,” Crisis put in.

“No familiar? I see…” Belletia’s eyes narrowed and flashed Lea a brief predatory stare that caused her heart to backflip. Wait, wasn’t Belletia a familiar herself on this world? Didn’t that mean she wasn’t supposed to eat people?! Or was it all an act?! Lea felt her urge to flee spike.

Crisis put a warning hand on the harpy’s shoulder. “I’m watching over her while she’s in town, thank you very much,” she growled.

“Is that so?” Belletia whirled on the naga. “That figures. A fine job you’ve done protecting her, too, I dare say.”

That last part was loaded with sarcasm, and the meaning was clear. Crisis retracted her hand, her face suddenly filling with guilt and shame.

Satisfied that her barb had done sufficient damage, Belletia turned back around and corralled Lea with her wing again. “You know… Lara… If you want a more reliable familiar watching over your safety while you’re here… I would love to offer my services, such as they are.”

Belletia’s voice took on an overtly seductive tone as she spoke. Her jade eyes flashed with desire. Lea suddenly realized what the harpy was trying to do, and her face turned blood red as she tried to back away, but ended up trapped by a wall of feathers.

“I could make it worth your while,” Belletia licked her lips and pulled her closer. “I’m the best familiar in the empire, and I’m offering my services for free. I’m sure my current partner wouldn’t mind putting you up at her house either. What do you say?”

“Uh… I, uh…” Lea’s mind was spinning. Was this really happening? Was Belletia of all people really coming on to her?! Just the thought of it was so freaky as to make Lea’s mind spin!

To the rescue came Crisis, whose snake tail wrapped itself around Belletia’s neck and yanked her backward. Belletia squawked reflexively and flapped her wings to try and escape, knocking Lea to the ground.

“I think what she wants to say is ‘NO’!” said Crisis angrily.

“Get your filthy tail off of me, you blonde barbarian bimbo!!” Belletia snarled.

“Belletia, you’re incorrigible,” Marlena stepped in and helped Lea to her feet gently. “To think you couldn’t convince Lady Landau to register you, so now you content yourself with her twin sister?”

“Stay out of this, Whitey!” exclaimed Belletia, her face red.

Lea dusted herself off, then looked at Marlena with relief. “Thanks.”

“You’re quite welcome. Belletia has a problem recognizing boundaries,” said Marlena kindly. “Come. Let’s get you back home. After your ordeal you should probably rest.”

“What about Crisis?” Lea asked.

The two turned to see Crisis and Belletia now locked in a fight. The two familiars were wrestling and pummeling one another in a rising cloud of dirt and dust.

Marlena sweat-dropped. “I think we should let them work off some steam,” she said. “Those two came all the way out here expecting resistance, so I think they’re just feeling a bit punchy. Don’t worry, they won’t really hurt one another. Theirs is a rivalry going back quite a few years now.”

Lea wasn’t quite so certain that their fight was so harmless, but nevertheless she felt a tiny bit better seeing things just a little bit more normal again.

“Whose familiar is Belletia?” Lea wondered aloud.

“Celestia Lesona; Vice-captain of Angkora’s local defense force, which makes her Lord Landau’s second-in-command,” Marlena explained. “She’s also the older sister of Alastazia, whom you already seem to know.”

“I see,” Lea processed that information as she watched Belletia and Crisis brawl. “Why does Belletia want to be the other Lea’s familiar?”

“Lea met Belletia around the same time she met her husband,” said Marlena. “Belletia was already assigned to Vice-captian Lesona by then, but something about Lea… well, really something about both of you it seems… entices Belletia. I don’t know if it’s romantic or something else, but there is certainly something about you two that she’s attracted to. On top of that, Lea has Crisis, whom Belletia feels is an unworthy familiar. She’d love nothing more than to steal Crisis’ partner away.” Marlena frowned. “Belletia is not the most kind-hearted soul… but in battle there are few who are more reliable. So we put up with her antics.”

How strange, thought Lea. On Felarya, Belletia wants to eat me, but on Ayralef she just wants me. Even with all the differences between here and home, it’s amazing how much things in both worlds parallel each other so neatly.

There was a lull in the fighting as both Crisis and Belletia broke off to catch their breath and stare one another down. Lea decided to step in before somebody got seriously hurt. She walked up to Crisis and grabbed the naga’s hand.

“Crisis… let’s go home,” she smiled.

Crisis grinned back and squeezed Lea’s hand. “Alright… I suppose I’ve wasted enough time here.”

“Hey! Where are you going?!” Belletia challenged as the two walked away side-by-side. “I haven’t given up yet! Come back here!” Everyone, including Marlena, began walking away as Belletia stood impotently in the middle of the street, shouting. “Hey!! I’m talking to you, you reptile! This isn’t over, do you hear me?! THIS ISN’T OVER!!!!”

*****

“I can’t thank you enough for saving some of my people, Anna,” said Corbin as he watched the nervous civilians filing out of the fortified bunker. The battle was pretty much over. All skeletons had been neutralized and accounted for, and so the cleanup phase had begun. Angkora was slightly battered, but still very much intact. People had died, but overall things could have been far worse.

Anna Demorah stood next to him, lighting a cigarette with her lighter. “Yeah well, you can thank me by taking those things off my hands.”

The colonel gestured over to the pile of skeletons that had been snared in Deluran Cable-nets. The undead soldiers struggled futilely, still animated, but just as helpless as those the Dridders had subdued.

“We’re going to have to find some place to keep them until we can find a way to make them rest in peace,” said Corbin, a little sadly. “Poor guys.”

“Tch! You’re feeling sorry for those things?” Anna rolled her eyes.

“Like it or not, those used to be living men with their own free wills,” Corbin responded defensively. “They risked their lives to fight for their empire and apparently died in the line of duty. And now here they are, unable to rest. Unable to resist the urge to kill whatever’s in front of them. They’ve been desecrated, Anna, and they deserve better than that.”

Anna almost had a snarky retort, but as she looked at Corbin’s face and saw the pent up anger and pity in his expression, she swallowed her words. She looked at the skeletons again and found herself wondering if she’d feel the same way if those were undead Deluran soldiers? The answer was obvious, she’d be furious if something like this happened to her men!

“Captain.”

Both Anna and Corbin turned as an Angkoran officer trotted up and saluted Corbin. “We’ve got news. Big news.”

“Report,” Corbin prompted.

“We’ve just gotten word that Lady Landau’s sister has been rescued and is unharmed,” said the officer. “But perhaps more importantly than that… Familiar Officer Belletia sends word that they have captured Black Vivian, sir!”

Anna almost swallowed her cigarette in shock. Instead, turning her head to cough. Corbin Landau’s eyes went wide, unable to believe what he had just heard. “Are you sure about this, Yeoman? THE Black Vivian of Evernight?!”

“That’s what they told me, captain!” the young officer insisted. “The prisoners are on their way to the jail as we speak.”

Corbin didn’t know how to feel as he looked distantly toward the Angkoran skyline, watching the wisps of smoke still rising from the damaged sections. Could it really be true? Had Crisis and Belletia just successfully captured the same woman whom the Queen of the Fairies warned was a deadly threat to the empire? The same woman who had turned former Sagolian Soldiers into mindless killing machines?? No matter how many times he rolled the words around in his head, he still couldn’t quite believe it. It just seemed too easy to be true.

“Your orders, sir?”

Corbin was snapped back into focus by the question and he looked at the yeoman. “I want you to send word to my wife and Vice-captain Lesona,” he instructed. “In fact, I want all unit commanders and city councilors notified as well. Tell Lea and Celestia to come meet me at the prison, along with Crisis, Belletia, Marlena, and my wife’s sister Lara. I’m going to need to verify this with my own eyes, and I’ll need reliable witnesses to confirm.”

“Right away sir!” the yeoman saluted again and ran off at top speed.

Anna had recovered from her own shock and now she stepped up beside him.

“I lost seventeen men to these things,” she said darkly. “I’m coming with you. If you’re going to be interrogating her, I want a little piece of the action.”

Corbin looked at Anna doubtfully.

Anna narrowed her eyes at him. “I’m not taking ‘no’ for an answer, Corbin. This bitch is going to find out what happens when you piss off a Deluran! It might just be a good idea if you were there to hold me back.”

The fierce look in Anna’s eyes told Corbin not to insist. Instead he turned his head and looked at the struggling skeletons one more time. “Actually, Anna,” he said, “I’ve got half a mind to let you do whatever you want to her. But not until I get some answers from her. Got it?”

TO BE CONTINUED...