The Dark World

Chapter 13: A revelation

Marisoll

I heard Cairn call out for mystic Zerena, heard the panicked tone in his voice, something bad had happened.

I ran over to join them, and upon entering the small rundown home I saw a woman lying on the floor bleeding out, to the left I almost missed the little girl huddling against the corner, crouched down and hugging a table leg, she was so frightened she was shaking.

While Cairn took mystic Zerena over to the mother, I made my way over to the little girl and bent down. “Hello,” I smiled.

She didn’t answer me, I hadn’t expected her to. “We will help your mummy, ok?”

“Daddy help.”

“Where’s daddy?” I smiled.

She pointed behind me and I turned to see only Cairn. “Ah, I see.” I understood why the first male to show her kindness was now ‘daddy’ in her eyes, her real father most likely either passed before the darkness hit, or maybe she’d never known him, right now, she was scared and alone with the fear of losing her mother the only person who had loved her and cared for her in this awful world, so she was clinging onto Cairn, perhaps hoping that if she convinced herself enough that he was her father that it would become a reality if her mother did not make it.

I stayed with the little girl keeping her distracted until I heard mystic Zerena had managed to stop the bleeding and healed some internal injuries with one of her less potent health potions. Ezekiel gently lifted the woman and put her on the dirty mattress, it was better than the dirty floor, I suppose.

Cairn came over and the little girl ran towards him and hugged his leg. “Dada pick up!” She cried, lifting her hands up to him.

When he just looked at her coldly I elbowed him in the side making him growl, but he muttered, “fine, come here kid.” He lifted her up into his arms, and she snuggled against him as if she had always known him.

His face stayed cold, but I think he secretly enjoyed the attention because as the days passed, and we watched over her mother while she healed, Cairn had the little girl follow him everywhere, her name we had learned was Esther, and she was either following Cairn around like a lost lamb, holding his hand or making him carry her around.

If he thought no one was looking, then he would smile at her and play with her, I had even caught him making daisy chains with her on the sparse bit of greenery that was around.

He was walking back to the house with Esther in one arm and a few logs in the other, Esther had a small log of her own clearly wanting to help.

I folded my arms and rose an eyebrow at him.

“What?” He snapped.

“Never took you for a children person.”

“I’m not, I am just helping her pass the time,” he snarled and stormed past me.

I laughed quietly to myself, he could deny it all he wanted, but I knew the truth.

Ezekiel came out and lightly touched my arm. “Can you help make some food, I think her mother is finally waking up.”

“Of course,” I smiled and went back inside with him. I liked Ezekiel, he was a kind man, kind and handsome in one man was rare indeed.

Although Cairn was being so sweet and good with Esther I still would not say he was a kind man, a good man, perhaps.

I was cooking some meat, making a stew with the few ingredients I found, when I changed my mind about Cairn being kind or good.

He came up behind me, pressing his nose against my neck and inhaled. “Mmm, you smell good,” he murmured. His hand slid to my waist and my heart started to race, for all our arguments, I could not deny my attraction towards him any more than I could towards Ezekiel.

It had been a couple of weeks since they had spent a night with those ladies back at the inn, but I had not forgotten his cruelty back then, he had done the very same thing to prove a silly point, was he doing it again? Most likely.

I stomped on his foot and smashed my head back against his face sending him falling back from me.

“What the hell was that!” He growled, holding his bust nose and lip.

“You can’t fool me this time,” I snapped.

He frowned at me looking confused, “what are you talking about?”

“Back at the inn, or are my feelings so unimportant that you can’t even remember?”

I watched his face as he tried to recall what I was talking about, and then I saw the understanding in his eyes and then anger. “You’re still whining about that? It was ages ago. I meant what I said just now, I thought perhaps you may have been up for a little fun in these dark times, but f.uck it, you are no lady, no matter what I say or do you fight me every step of the way.” He stalked out of the room and I stood there a little surprised by his passion. Was he right? Was I so argumentative with him when I needn’t be? I think he may have been right, I think perhaps the problem wasn’t all him, we were both as bad as each other.

I would not admit that of course, he was still a cold and arrogant jerk, besides, why should he have expected me to welcome him with open arms when, nine times out of ten, we were always at one another’s throats? And as though I would forget what he had done at the inn, surely he must have known this rare act of affection from him would make me suspicious.

I angrily finished the food off and dished some up for everyone including Esther’s mother who was now sitting up and leaning against the headboard.

Esther was on her lap and wouldn’t move when asked until Cairn came over and picked her up in his arms. “Let your mother eat, she needs her strength,” he murmured quietly.

“I want mummy!”

“And you’ll have her after she has eaten some food, you want her better don’t you?”

She pouted sulkily but nodded and pressed her cheek against his chest. He stroked her hair softly and whispered, “good girl, love.”

I quickly looked away from them and tried to ignore how it would feel to hear Cairn call me an endearing name like love, or darling. I could not fall for a man like Cairn, I could not, he was cold and cruel and crude, he had no respect for me and had made it quite clear on his feelings of hatred for me, as for earlier? A typical response from a s.exually frustrated male, and I still did not know whether I believed him about his genuineness.

Mystic Zerena was outside washing the mother some clean clothes, I went over to her feeling shy and embarrassed, but she was the only other female I had to ask such things.

I knelt beside her on the floor quietly and helped her wash at first, she didn’t look up at me, but I saw her give a small smile. Great. She knew I was here to ask her something, and she was patiently waiting for me to gather up the courage to ask it.

I cleared my throat and said, “if you do not mind me asking such a personal question, why is it that Ezekiel and Cairn do not come to you for pleasure? Why try to find it with ladies of the night if you are always with them?”

I cringed hard, that sounded terrible, like I was saying it was her job to please them or something, I waited for her to curse me or turn me into stone, but she smiled and finally looked at me. “Believe me, they have tried, whether that be through hints or acts of kindness that, let’s be honest, does not suit Cairn at all, only once have they tried to make a move physically, spending the night frozen with creatures of all sorts coming over to lick their frozen bodies and quench their thirst, was enough to teach them to never try again.” She giggled at the memory while I looked at her in horror.

“Did they get rough?” I whispered.

Her eyes widened, and she waved her hands at me sending droplets of water flying everywhere. “No, no, please don’t get me wrong, they are good men with good hearts, and yes, even Cairn, I see you rolling your eyes, but he is a good man, there is more than meets the eye with him. Their lips did not even touch mine before I cast the spell, I am a tad dramatic I must admit, but I find it gets the point across far better than words, rather than explain to them, I am not interested I prefer to show them just how uninterested I am, that way there is no risk of them ever trying again, not to say I do not enjoy their compliments and their flirtations, but I will not have s.ex with them.”

“Why not, may I ask?”

She sighed and started washing again. “I do see they are very attractive men, unusually so, but I do not have a s.ex drive nor can I procreate, so I have no desire to lie with a man.”

“You don’t feel anything?”

She looked up at me and smiled, “I feel some things, but it is usually not towards men.”

I was confused for a moment, not towards men? My eyebrows rose, and I looked at her, “oh, you prefer women?” I whispered.

She nodded and added, “I do not mind men, especially ones as pretty as Cairn and Ezekiel, but yes, I like women more and besides, Cairn and Ezekiel are for someone else.”

I didn’t like the way my heart dropped hearing that. “What do you mean?” I asked, my throat felt dry.

“I cannot talk too much on it, but there is a love for them, I am not her, and so I will not touch what is hers.”

“You make it sound like there is one woman for the both of them to share.”

“You would be correct,” she smiled.

“I do not see that going down very well,” I laughed, trying to ignore the panic inside that some other woman would soon come and claim them.

She laughed too, “maybe not at first, but I have seen enough to know all three will be more than happy with the arrangement.”

“When does she arrive?”

She looked up at me again and said, “I am not allowed to talk too much about the things I see, there is always the risk of it changing, of me sharing too much and those who overhear have the power to change it, all I can tell you is that she exists for them both.” Looking harder at me, she asked, “you are a Druid, a wizard in your own right, why is it you do not see such things or cast spells?”

I shrugged, “I was only twelve when our village was invaded, overtaken and everyone killed, thirteen is when we come into our power and are taught how to wield it and use it, I had no one to teach me so it dissipated when I reached sixteen, all I get now is the ability to shift forms and minimal and not very useful glimpses into the future. I knew two men would appear on my land, that turned out to be Cairn and Ezekiel, it’s how I already knew their names, but I did not have any information on whether they would be enemies or allies.”

She nodded, “of course, I forgot druids come into their power at thirteen and if not used within the time frame it flows back into the earth, I am sorry about your parents and your village, that you had to be alone at such a young age.”

“Thank you,” I smiled and after that, we exchanged no more words and finished washing the clothes.