Hades

Chapter Twenty One - The Ferryman, Part Three

Chapter Twenty One: The Ferryman Part Three

Treielle awoke without a sound, her head resting on Iwanami's lap. Her big sister was busy sharpening her claws on a piece of flint, though they were already so razor-edged that any passing Farfalle Thanatos was sliced into two as it fluttered past, reforming itself from golden particles in the air and hastily flying away from Iwanami. The girl felt a cold hand stroke her face and looked up without interest.

'Are you awake, Treielle? Feeling more like yourself again? It seems my first instinct was right. The ferryman was the weak link all along, and you are his weakness. '

Treielle was having difficulty remembering what had occurred earlier. The visions of Honda were getting harder to recall as they dissolved into darkness, and holding onto them was like trying to hold onto the wind. The echo of 'It's my fault,' seemed to be fading too, though she didn't know what the words meant. She sat up, feeling dazed and stupid.

'You betrayed me,' said Iwanami softly. 'I'm the one who took you in when I found you wandering the cold streets by yourself. I loved you like a sister, and taught you how to survive. Yet you choose that boy over me? You lie to me? We can't have that, my dear.'

When Iwanami slapped her it was with such brutal force that Treielle flew some distance and landed in a heap on the rooftop. Her cheek stinging and covered in gravel, she lifted her head from the ground and watched her sister come closer. The harsh headache in her right temple began to pound.

A wall of roses, sweet fragrant red and green. A pair of golden eyes stared at her through a gap in the floral tapestry, and her heart caught in her throat...

'Do you remember the darkness, Treielle? Do you remember how it felt to be beyond death, left behind all alone in that terrible place? Get up.'

Treielle did as she was told and received another slap, this one so hard that she whimpered as she fell.

There were splatters of crimson all over her white dress, but how? No-one was supposed to get hurt. After all he was free to go; she was the only prisoner...

'He's the one who left you, isn't he? Do you remember that? He left you all alone in that darkness where you couldn't see or feel anything beyond your own misery and pain. Is that the actions of someone who cares for you? Has it never occurred to you that he was the one responsible for your death?'

Treielle winced, her head pounding. Iwanami's words filled her clouded mind, drowning out a curious singing from far away. 'That's right,' thought Treielle desperately. 'I was all alone and scared in the darkness for so very long. He left me. He left me all alone...'

Iwanami stood over her. 'So, do you know what you're going to do?' she said, kneeling and running her nails up Treielle's cheek. She gently lifted the curly lock of hair that fell in front of the girl's right ear and smiled unpleasantly. The skin beneath was disfigured by the scar of a bullet wound. 'You're going to kill him. It's the only way to be truly free from him once and for all.'

'I'm going to...kill him,' Treielle whispered, her eyes going blank.

*

Honda knew that when the sick, hot feeling of pain twisted his stomach once more that Treielle was summoning him to the park, to the swings, for the final time. He knew he had to go alone, and left the comfort of Uxi's bedside taking feline form, a furry orange streak of determination dashing through the town to the park.