This was not a good day, thought Grace glumly as she ran after Zack. Her
clothes made it hard, slowing her down a lot. It got so far - she was actually
looking forward to the spanking, anything to end the terrible gloomy feeling
upon her, and now?
Another trouble.
This started to get old.
She sat on a tree stump to catch her breath. Her bottom was saved - temporarily.
She wasn't sure whether she's glad or disappointed.
When I got to the small glade where Merta, Soot and May opted to stay until
I get the spankings done, Soot was on the ground, fighting furiously with
another girl.
Well, girl - woman, actually. It was hard to see details, but she was definitely
an adult.
Merta looked worried. She didn't know what to do.
"OK," I said. "I don't know who you are, but you should better..."
Something passed close to my head and I staggered and fell on my butt.
Linda has jumped from the nearest tree and joined the fray.
Apparently, she was sensitive to being spanked - but when she was, she
recovered extremely fast. Good thing to remember next time she will have
to make a bottom presentation.
Animal reflexes and few quick slashes finished the fight quickly. Now I
could get a good look at the attacker.
She had black hair, just like Soot, but she didn't have her short haircut
- the hair was long, tied in a ponytail in the back. She was bleeding from
her lip and she would probably jump on Soot again if not for the fact that
Linda grasped her arms firmly.
"Oh, this is just perfect," snarled Soot. "Why do I always have to mess
with you?"
"You know her?" asked May.
"Of course she knows me!" shrieked the woman. "That damn bitch is my good-for-nothing
sister!"
"Same for you!" retorted Soot.
Yes, I thought glumly. There was definitely a family resemblance.
"What happened?" I asked Soot. "You never told us you have a family."
"She's just my sister!" cried Soot. "I refuse to call her a family!"
"Soot!" cried May. "Isn't that an awful thing to say?"
"Soot?" laughed the woman. "Well, isn't that a good one. You never told
this bunch your name, did you?"
Soot paled. "Don't... you... dare! I'll kill you!"
The woman shrieked with laughter. "What can you do to me, Rosaleen?
I could always beat you."
Soot jumped and - apparently - attempted to gouge her eyes out. Me and
May could hardly stop her.
"Ros..." I started but I got slapped in my face immediately.
"If that name passes your lips," said Soot with hatred in her eyes, "you
are dead. Understand?"
"Soot!" Shouted Merta. "You can't hit Zack!"
"Still a naughty girl, are you?" teased the woman. "Oh, you would deserve
a good spanking, Rosaleen!"
Soot kicked her in the stomach. She has doubled over, coughing.
"Linda!" I cried. "Let her go, I think we need to get hold of Soot!"
"Good one," gasped the woman. "I didn't see that coming at all - you've
improved, all right."
"Excuse me," asked Merta. "But... could you tell us your name?"
"I'm Fia," she shrugged. "I'm not ashamed of my name, you know."
"It seems like Soot is quite agitated," I said. "Maybe you could... you
know... provide a bit of background for us."
"Oh, sure. Rosaleen is my younger sister, you see. We were born on one
of the islands, but Mom died when we were little. So it was just Dad raising
us." She sighed. "Well, Dad was a crook. A swindler and a thief. When I
got old enough to understand that, I was ashamed of him. Not Rosaleen, though
- she wanted to go in his footsteps! We were constantly arguing. And Dad
was way too lenient with her. So I had to watch over her behaviour
and keep her criminal nature in check."
"You were beating me!" snarled Soot.
"What? Those were just regular spankings," answered Fia. "And you could
grow up straight if you just kept with me a while longer!"
"What happened?" I asked.
"When I was sixteen, I got married and escaped from that hell of a house,"
said Fia. "Rosaleen was eleven then. I offered to take her with me, but
Dad said no. He wanted to train her further - well, I figured out that there's
no possible reason for me to sacrifice my own happiness on account of this
ungrateful brat!"
"So you left - and that was the damn best thing you did!" shouted Soot.
"You terrorized me for years since Mom died!"
"And I failed, miserably," retorted Fia. "Because about a year after that,
guards came to my house, looking for you!"
"And you sent them to my house!"
"And you were no longer there, since your father took you in time and moved
here, in the middle of the Menean woods!"
The air was so full of enmity, it might blow up at any minute.
"How long ago did this happen?" I asked.
Soot sighed. "We moved here nine years ago."
"And you are still mad at each other?" I shook my head. "I don't get this."
"What are you doing here, anyways?" asked Soot. She didn't sound so angry
anymore. Just annoyed.
Fia sighed. "The Mayor of the town sent me a letter and asked me to come,
Rosaleen."
"What? Why would he do that?"
"Our father is... dead."
I've never seen Soot's expression change so quickly. Her face was suddenly
pale.
"You're lying!"
Fia shook her head. "I wish I would, Rosaleen. I mean - I didn't like him
much, but he was still my father. They say it was a heart-attack. And, well
- nothing kept me home anyways..."
"What... happened?" asked Soot.
"My husband died three years ago," answered Fia, simply.
I could see Soot trying up with some witty remark, but she couldn't. Just
as well, because if she started to make jokes, she would go over my knee
right here and now.
"I'm... sorry to hear that," she said, at last.
"And I'm sorry I've jumped at you like that," replied Fia. "I don't know
what got into me, I mean... we are both adults now. I guess... I just couldn't
stand that smirk of yours, feeling so high while I'm so miserable..."
"That's OK," said Soot. "I could use some training anyways. But..." She
looked at her sister. "What's with father's house?"
"That old shack? I'm trying to get it into order. He was messy. Rosaleen,
you didn't live there for some time, did you?"
"I was on the mainland," said Soot. "For a few years. But - well, there
are some trouble right now. I thought we could hide in there... for some time."
"You got in trouble again, didn't you?"
"No!" cried Merta. "You got that wrong! Soot really helped us! It's...
it's me they are after. But I didn't do anything wrong, honest!"
Fia sighed. "Well, I'm sure of that - but the shack is built for two people.
And there is six of you..."
"We have to try," said Soot. "Please..."
"I'll take you there," she conceded.
The house was, indeed, small. It only had two rooms. There was a big fireplace
in the main room.
"I'm afraid that the standards are not those of the mainland," sighed Fia.
"But still - you owe me one, Rosaleen."
Soot nodded, glumly. "I figure that I do. It really is small. Smaller
than I remember."
Merta came to a wall and took out the chalk.
"Wait," I called. "You shouldn't..."
But she already started to draw. It was a cube. A big one.
A large part of the wall moved backward, creating a small alcove. One person
could sleep in there, comfortably.
"What's that?" asked Fia suspiciously.
"Merta has... certain powers," I said. "That's the reason why powerful
people are going after her. Trust me, she is not dangerous."
Unless she reverts and changes back into Raia, I thought. But there was
no need to scare Fia with that.
"Merta," I said, "How long do those things stay? It would be awkward if
we fell asleep in one and it would cease to exist in the middle of the night."
"It will hold - as long as someone is inside," said Merta promptly. "I
was trying it out on the ship. But something must stick out of it - if you
get completely inside, it closes on you and nobody without my abilities
can get out after that."
"Well, Merta, it might be a nice idea, but I, for one, am not prepared
to risk sleeping in that," I sighed. "Sorry. We will just lie on the floor
for tonight - tomorrow, we shall search for different accommodation. There
are six of us..." I looked around. "Wait a minute... where is Grace?"
Stupid interrupting, thought Grace. If he had spanked me, I bet it wouldn't
even hurt that much by now. As it is, I lost the sense of time.
And my way.
When she got to the glade, nobody was there. She has tried to shout and
search, but there was nobody. She was getting very worried.
She kicked a tree.
"Oh, this is just sweet!" she cried. "What am I going to do now?"
"Are you lost, Miss?"
Grace turned around. A little black-haired girl, looking about seven years
old, was watching her.
"What... who are you?"
The girl smiled. "I'm Rosey. I live around here."
"Oh... could you take me to your parents?"
Rosey shook her head. "My Daddy is dead, Miss. And Mommy..."
Tears welled in her eyes.
"Mommy is a monster now."
I was getting worried.
"Grace wasn't exactly... stable these last few days," I explained. "She
might have run away... or something could happen to her..."
"There's no dangerous terrain around here," said Fia. "But still - it is
a forest, there are wild animals, things like that..."
I jumped. "I must find her! Fia, I know we're being a terrible bother,
but please, help the girls with dinner. Save some for me, too!"
I ran out of the door.
It started to grow dark already.
"Something bad came," said Rosey. "Something bad came and took Mommy. And
she's a monster now."
Grace was appalled by the sadness in her voice. So like her own...
"When did that happen?" she asked.
"Yesterday? I don't know," she said. "But I can't go home, Miss. I don't
want that monster to see me. She might eat me."
"Rosey," said Grace, "you live in the town?"
Rosey shook her head. "We used to," she said. "But when Daddy died, Mom
moved to live with the Grandpa."
"And where does your Grandpa live?"
"He doesn't live anywhere. The monster ate him. That's how I know it would
eat me, too," said Rosey. She sounded slightly annoyed as if she would have
to explain something that made perfect sense.
"Where did he live?"
"In a house in the forest," said Rosey. "It was a small house."
Grace's heart stopped. If this girl was speaking the truth...
"Where is that house?" she yelled. The girl started to cry.
"Sorry..." said Grace. "I'm... not good with children. Please, I must get
there as quick as possible! My friends... they could be there! They could
be in great danger!"
"Grace!" I was crying. "Where are you?"
That girl was always getting into trouble! It was getting out of hand.
I thought May was mischievous, but Grace could easily beat her in this game!
She had better be in trouble, I thought. Because if she's just playing
around, all the promises go out of the window and I spank that girl until...
I heard something behind me and turned around, but before I could do anything,
someone was behind me and he was choking me.
A young man was standing in front of me. It was... Shawn.
"Oh, so we meet again," he said and smiled. It wasn't a pleasant smile.
"Now... you will lead us to Raia. I'm really sorry about this, but I can't
allow that abomination to live."
"Don't worry," smiled Fia. "I made enough soup for all of us. I'm afraid
there is not enough place at the table for all of you, but..."
There was a knock on the door.
Fia looked up, puzzled. "Who might that be?" she asked.
"Grace!" cried out Linda. "It must be her!"
The door opened.
"Zack
won't be happy about this," noted Soot wryly. "Once he gets his hands on
you, you will be one sorry girl..."
She stayed openmouthed
as she saw the other person.
"Who... is she?" asked Merta.
"Get out!" barked Grace. "Away from that woman! She's... not who she seems
to be!"
Fia looked puzzled for a moment, but then she laughed. "Oh, come on, I
don't know what my daughter told you, but..."
"Your daughter?" cried Soot.
"Yes, I... I couldn't leave her at home, now could I, and..."
"How come you haven't mentioned her all this time," said Soot. There
was a dangerous edge in her voice. "You've sent Zack out to look for Grace,
but this whole time you wasn't worried at all about your daughter,
alone in the dark forest. No mother would do that! Ha! Explain that to me!"
Fia just looked confused. "Oh... you see..."
"And that attack," continued Soot. "At one moment you were hating my guts,
suddenly you are forgiving? Everyone else might have bought that, but I
didn't. It didn't seem to... be like you. Not at all."
Fia staggered. "That bitch!" she shouted. "How could she? How could
she keep her from me!"
She smiled, but it wasn't a nice smile. It was wider than should be possible.
"OK, I guess the game is up," she conceded. "Now, this is what will happen:
Raia will go with me. And the rest of you will die."
"I told you she's a monster," announced Rosey to the silence.
"You will lead us to Raia," repeated Shawn. His eyes gleamed.
"I can't," I said. "I won't let you kill her."
"You should obey," snarled the other man, the one who was holding me. "It
will make everything... much easier."
I knew that voice.
"Feltar!"
He lightnened his grip a bit. "I'm pleased you remember me. You... and
your bunch of criminals. I would gladly kill you, but..."
He was breathing quickly and lightly, as if in pain. "I will kill the girl,"
he said. "That's the only way."
"No you won't!" I cried. "I might die, but I won't take you to her!"
Shawn shook his head. "She manipulated your mind," he said. "Raia possesses
that power, that's what makes her such a fearsome opponent. I have no doubts
you really believe that she doesn't deserve to die, but we can't afford
any mistakes."
"She's no longer Raia! She's Merta!"
"All lies!" snarled Feltar. "She lied to you, like she lied to me. We will
kill her!"
Grace was looking at Rosey's mother. The... creature that was Rosey's mother.
She still wore that form, but her blue eyes became ominously yellow.
Soot jumped on her - Fia raised her hand and Soot crumbled on the ground,
gasping in pain.
In a second, May crumbled.
Then Grace felt a pain in every nerve of her body; it was so intensive
that she gasped. But she managed to keep standing. The pain washed away.
Fia looked at her. "Resisting, are you?" She raised her hand again.
Merta tackled her and Fia staggered. She put her hand out to keep from
falling. She touched the hot stove where she prepared the soup.
She looked at her hand, puzzled. It was badly burned, but Fia obviously
felt no pain at all. Her human facade was deteriorating quickly.
She grabbed Merta with the unburned hand.
"Easier than I thought," she mused. Tiny cracks were appearing and disappearing
all over her face. "Now, as for you..."
Merta bit on her hand, but to no avail. Fia narrowed her eyes...
...and got direct hit with a ball of flame! She whirled around.
Linda was standing at the wall. She didn't have a piece of chalk like Merta,
but she had her claws.
When Fia turned around, Linda finished another tetrahedron and threw it
at her.
It exploded on her face. Fia shrieked and let Merta go.
Grace covered Rosey's eyes. There are things little girls shouldn't see.
And one of them was the thing that appeared after Fia's beautiful face
melted down in the onslaught.
The face was remotely humanoid, with blue skin and something like a short,
prehensile trunk in the place of mouth. It had no nose, but there were two
large yellow eyes.
The creature shrieked again. She swung a fist and hit Merta on the temple.
I staggered as I felt a blow to my head. My amulet started to hurt. That
meant Merta was in danger - but if these guys were here...
"Go stuff yourselves!" I yelled. "I don't have the time to mess with you!"
I suddenly ducked and slipped from Feltar's grasp. In a flash I was at
a tree, looking on the attackers.
I was shocked to see Feltar. He seemed very thin, and his face was warped
in a grimace of perpetual torment.
Shwan jumped on me and I evaded him.
I started to run back to the shack. They pursued.
Soot attacked now and Grace jumped to help her. Each of them held one of
Fia's arms. For a while, they resisted, but then the skin broke. Underneath
was another skin, a blue one.
The remnants of human skin were absorbed by the ghostly flesh. The arms
easily evaded the girls' grip, passing through them like shadows.
"You are one of the Queen's monsters," said Soot.
"They call me Spectre," acknowledged the monster. "I
was sent to capture Raia."
Her voice was quiet, but very ominous.
"You was the one who killed Soot's father," said May. "And her sister."
Spectre laughed. "I didn't kill that woman. I absorbed her. All
her memories. All her desires. But she managed to hide her daughter from
me. Oh, I should know! Another minute and you would be all rendered helpless."
"Not me," said Soot. Her tone was civil, but there was something dangerous
in the way she looked. "I wouldn't eat anything my sister prepared. She
was never a good cook."
"Apparently, she got better after she married," sneered Spectre.
"Well, it seems we are now in a bit of stalemate, right?"
"Call it whatever you want," said Soot. "We won't allow you to take Merta."
"She's Raia. The most evil person who ever lived," objected
Spectre. "You should be glad you will be rid of her."
Soot blinked. "Did I miss something here?"
"I met Raia," said Grace. Spectre turned her hideous head towards her.
"Yes," continued Grace, "I met her. She's not nice and she can be mean,
but she is not evil! She helped me! I don't care for what old legends say
- she's... she's... my friend!"
Merta closed her eyes. Raia opened her eyes.
"You are obviously desilusional, girl!" she barked. "I'm definitely not
your friend!" She looked around. "Fine mess you got yourselves into, eh?"
she muttered. "Any ally
is good to you when you are in it deep, right?"
"What's going on here?" cried Soot, but Raia just waved her hand. May,
Soot, Linda and Rosey fell on the ground.
"Raia!" cried Grace.
"I can't have my identity widely known, now can I?" sneered Raia. "They
will just... forget some details, that's all. Look, girl, I don't know how
much time I have left, so let's get down to business."
She turned against Spectre. "I won't go with you," she said, flatly. "Now,
you may run if you want - because otherwise I'm going to utterly destroy
you."
Spectre bristled. "Strong words, witch. But you can't fool me. Your
powers are weak. The parasite mind inside you is eating them away."
"Oh, I am weaker, sure," admitted Raia. "But weak? No. It's you who
is weak. Just look at yourself! I can see your mind, you filthy critter.
I know who you are. And I know who you were."
"I have nothing to hide," shrugged Spectre. "This, at
least, saves some explaining."
"What's happening here?" cried Grace.
"This girl," explained Raia matter-of-factly, "is dead."
Then, the door burst.
I ran into the shack to find it in state of maximum possible disorder.
All the girls were lying down, except Grace and Merta. No - this was Raia,
I realized. She took control because her body was threatened. The Knight
shamefully failed in his duty.
When I saw the creature in the middle of the floor, in Fia's clothes, I
knew.
The sword was in my hand. I slashed at the monster, but I only cut the
cloth - the blade passed through her body as if it was made from the mist.
Raia moved her hands.
A tetrahedron appeared in the air, but there was a fifth point, hovering
inside, connected with all four of the others by thin lines. Suddenly, it
burst out of its confines and hit the monster in the chest.
It exploded inside of her.
It seemed that the monster felt the blow but it recovered quickly.
"What was that?" it shrieked. "I never heard
about that!"
Raia sneered.
"You didn't think I would pass all my tricks to such a bunch of idiots?"
she taunted. "Well, Spectre, you've made your choice. I'm going to destroy
you."
Another tetrahedron with a central point appeared in the air.
"I'm going to let this explode inside your head," she said calmly. "Swarm
could probably survive that, but you can't."
Spectre burst out of the rest of her clothes - and Fia's body -
and grabbed unconscious form of Rosey.
"Her mother is still alive," she sneered. "She's
inside of me. And I have the girl. Kill me and both of them will die, too."
Raia laughed. "Why should I give a damn? I'm evil, remember?"
Spectre hesitated. "Well... I meant... you woudln't..."
The door opened again. Shawn and Feltar were standing in it.
"What a coincidence!" laughed Shawn. "You took us to her, after all!"
"You're out of order," said Raia calmly. "If you want to do something with
me, you should wait until this situation resolves."
Shawn just gasped. "You... you..."
He saw Spectre and for a moment he was unsure what to do. Feltar, however,
had no scruples.
"You will pay!" he cried. I noticed that he doesn't have a sword - Shawn
probably deemed him not stable enough to be trusted with one. He punched Raia
in the stomach.
I didn't feel anything, but Raia doubled over. The pain transfer evidently
worked only with Merta. Raia staggered only for a moment, but that was all
Spectre needed.
She lunged and tackled her. Her trunk was hovering close to Raia's face.
The tetrahedron Raia had disappeared.
"I might absorb you," she mused. "Imagine I would
do that. I would get all of your powers."
"Queen won't be pleased if you dispose of me," gasped Raia.
Spectre shrugged. "Maybe I don't need her anymore."
Shawn wanted to say something but Spectre waved her hand and sent him
sprawling. "After I'm done... After I am Raia... then we will
fight. And you will die. Everything according to the rules."
It seemed that her body is shifting. Like a dark blue liquid, she started
to slowly envelope Raia.
I cried and shouted, but my sword could only harm Raia. And Merta. I jumped
on her, tried to tear away that disgusting blue goo, but my hands were passing
through it as if it was water.
Then one of the girls on the floor raised herself. I didn't know her - I
just noticed she was looking a bit like Soot...
The girl jumped to Raia, too.
"No!" she cried. "Please, don't do it! Don't do it, Mommy!"
Spectre shuddered as if a lightning bolt passed through her body. She striked
on the girl, but this time, her arm passed through her without harm. She raised
herself from Raia, staggered a bit...
She attempted to
flail at the girl again, missing her. Then she screamed. Suddenly, she sounded
like Fia again.
"I'm not letting you lay a finger on her you bitch!"
Raia stood up. She looked at Feltar.
"I'm sorry for everything," she said, simply. "You know what my last order
is. Do it - and you will be free."
"Free..."
Feltar nodded. Then he smiled.
"Aim for the heart," said Raia. "That's the only human part left."
I realized what she plans. "Stop it!" I yelled, but it was already too late.
Feltar thrusted and pierced Spectre with Shawn's sword.
The shriek was terrible.
I saw Spectre falling down. She still screamed.
"She has to absorb life to sustain her own unlife," said Raia. "That's what
happens when you infuse a dead body with my blood. Now you understand why
the Queen must never get another dose, right?"
"Your blood... did this?" I almost choked on those words.
"You would need a lot to do this," said Raia. "She had to save it for weeks...
Every day a vial..."
She broke it off. "The only vulnerable place was the living part."
Spectre opened her eyes. She was no longer screaming. "Tell Rosey... I'm
sorry. For everything."
"But she's..." I said, but then I saw the girl slumped on the ground. Again.
"I know what you think," said Raia, "but trust me. That woman never had
a chance. She was too far gone." She hesitated. "Sometimes... Sometimes you
have to make a choice that involves lives. It's never pleasant. But it might
be quite necessary."
I was surprised to see a tear in her eye.
"That girl didn't wake up at all," I said quietly. "It was all you. You
and your manipulation."
Raia nodded. "I gambled. Mother's love is the strongest emotion. It was
the only thing that could override Spectre's will."
"If you lost, the girl would have died!"
"If I lost," said Raia simply, "we would all die. It wouldn't make any difference."
She moved to the girl.
"This is Rosey," she said, quietly. "Seven years old. Soot's niece." She
pressed a hand on her forehead.
"What are you doing?" asked Grace. We almost forgot her.
"If I leave her the way she is, she will have a lifelong trauma," said Raia.
"She will remember her mother is dead... but she will forget the details.
That girl is getting stronger and I won't be with you for much longer. This
is the least... I can do for her."
She closed her eyes. "I'm... so very... tired."
"Grace."
Grace turned around. It was Feltar. He was kneeling before her, passing
her the sword.
"Grace. I'm... sorry. Please... free me."
Grace gasped. "What... What do you mean?"
You have a responsibility for this man. Grace heard Raia's warning.
Or - was it a curse?
"No..." she trembled. "I... I can't. That's absurd - I can't kill you!"
"You will free me," said Feltar. "I can't feel anything but pain. There
is... no more hope for me."
I could do it, I realized. I could easily kill him. But - I had hated him
before, but not now. You couldn't hate someone as pathetic as him.
"I..." I started.
Somebody took the sword from Feltar's hands. It was Shawn.
Before we could do anything, he buried it in Feltar's chest. He didn't even
flinch.
Feltar smiled. "No... pain..." he said.
Then he keeled over.
"You are a strange bunch, but you are too kind for your own good," said
Shawn. "Sometimes a kindness is just a liability."
He smiled. "I can't have you tainting your conscience with murder." He moved
towards fallen Merta.
I stepped in his way. "I won't let you..."
He waved his hand. "Maybe I'm starting to get too kind, too. Raia has...
saved my life. Accidentally, I have no doubt of that, but still - to strike
now would be a disgrace. We shall see each other again."
He bowed, then dropped his sword.
"That thing you have seems to be a bit troublesome," he said. "You should
learn to handle the real stuff."
He took a glass ball from his pocket and threw it on the ground. For a moment,
lines shined in the air, and then he was gone.
Before the girls woke up, I and Grace had one more thing to do.
We chose a wooden fence behind the house for this purpose. Grace was trembling
a bit.
I saw almost nothing as I turned her over my knee and removed her skirt
and panties out of the way.
Then I proceeded with the first spanking she got from me.
I spanked her for running away and endangering Merta. I spanked her for
things Linda did on the ship and for things she told her. I spanked her for
all the guilt she had accumulated.
I spanked her for a long time, but the paddle stayed in the house.
I didn't stop until she was crying and sobbing, until she was crying clean
tears of innocence.
I stood her up and hugged her.
"Thank you for bearing the punishment," I said.
"That's... that's all?" She was expecting the paddle.
"You want more?" I asked.
"No! It's just that... no, definitely not!"
"Then - we should go."
All of them were still sleeping. But it was just sleep, no strange enchantment.
Tomorrow they will be full of life again. Most of them.
Spectre's remains disappeared. Maybe the Queen reclaimed them, somehow.
Maybe she never really properly existed.
We looked as a shooting star passed through the skies.
"What did you wish for?" I asked Grace.
"I wished that tomorrow would be an ordinary day," she said. "No more attacks,
no more hiding... no more spanking. Just us, living as normal people."
"I think the Queen will give us a little leeway now," I nodded. "But ordinary
days? We will have to do something about Rosey, you know. And we can hardly
live in this house - it's not dimensed for such a crowd!"
Grace nodded. "All that trouble. And Raia. She erased everybody's memories,
we are the only two who know about her."
I nodded. "And she wants it to stay that way."
The story was still moving. And we were caught in its gears.
Today, tomorrow, and maybe forever.
It wasn't important. I was looking forward to the new day and a new story.
End
of Chapter 13
May's Readers' Corner:
OK... what can I say today? You've read it all.
Fulgur thinks that this chapter is "strongest" of them all, whatever that
term means (I think he doesn't know, either). But he has lot more prepared.
I'm happy to announce that Geomancer will continue for at least another
thirteen chapters and possibly much more!
And it might get better - much better!
Well, about next chapter - it's basically odds and ends. This and that.
It's title is... wait a moment... ah, here! Housewarming! And Fulgur promises
that there will be some spankings - and possibly more than one, if you tell
him that that's what you want. I mean, come on. Give some feedback. After
Fulgur spent all this time to write this... feedforward? What's the word?
Oh, am I confused...
I almost forgot! As the series passes the 13-chapter mark, the old title
pic is no longer appropriate. Fortunately, we have a new one - but you will
have to wait before you see it!
Oh, BTW, how did you like the Retrospective Corners? Nice, weren't they?
(If you haven't read them, go back to older chapters and look! They don't
spoil anything!)
The only bad thing was that I got spanked in them... Twice! Fulgur claimed
that I got "ideas". Guess what? That's what he does all the time -
why couldn't I have some ideas of my own? Maybe I could go on strike unless
he apologizes?
Heh... not likely. He would just spank me again.
May's Readers' Corner: