The lost children of Darvakan

Chapter 6: The lady of the lake

A gang of thieves were wandering together during the evening, talking about their crimes, their loot and who was the scariest or toughest. The group arrived at a beautiful blue pristine lake, with fog all around, turning the ambience magical, as if it went out from a tale.

Despite being clear and transparent as a mirror, beneath the waves was dark. Since it was becoming dark and a few droplets were falling, alerting them of a storm coming, they decided to camp near the place.

"That last job was wickedly pleasant!"

"Yeah, since it's easier and more enjoyable to steal from children."

"Ha, ha! What a stupid face that little girl put on, when I shot her parents in cold blood, so funny!"

"Agreed! How funny it was when the mother fell down a bottomless dark pit, still holding the doll she bought for her! I bet she's spider's food by now!"

"That doll seemed so expensive... it was the right thing to do, now it's mine and I already feel richer!"

"So, we have a good booty from our last assault, I should hide it in my lair, since I'm the less known of us."

"Oh, shut up, Nycto! Sure, your secret base is pitch black, but we'll likely lose the treasures we steal that way!"

"Yeah, you must be dumber than a farmer planting rocks!"

"I think, it might be better if I keep it on my balloon, where no one would reach for it, what do you think?"

"I'd rather throw myself through a cliff than let you, Acro, keep the loot! You, fart of a sheep!"

"Hey, who are you calling that, you useless dollmaker!"

"Name's Pedio, for your information!"

"Whatever, you and your toys are more useless than a crab unable to snap!"

"What's with that logic, since when crabs' purpose is snapping?"

"Hey, hey, calm down, let's do as we always do, let's separate it into equitative parts, and put it into a very tight small bag or box."

"Yeah, Claustro is right, you are just as brainless as a skeleton, by fighting for such things."

"Look who talks! Mono! Who is always with someone, probably to steal its cut!"

"I just work better in a team than solo. And if I wanted, I would've already taken your part, if not for all the spiders you have as pets, Arachno!"

"Hmm... by the way, where did the moronic balloonist go?"

"Who cares! I bet he already lost the money in the lake since he always has his head in the clouds!"

 

After a few hours, the spider trainer decided to go to search for him, to never return. Others were to look for them after more time had passed, to also not be heard again. When only the dollmaker was left alone in the camp, he went to the lake, not concerned at all at their disappearances, since they were criminals, of the worst kind, who would even steal from a kid. So if they were dead they'd be doing a favour to him and the world, and more loot there would be for him to take.

While walking near the waters, he heard a burst of sinister laughter, falling to it because of that.

"Who did that!? You don't know who you are messing with!" said pissed, because of getting all wet.

From below the lake, a girl emerged, only letting her head be seen. The bandit looked confused to her since she seemed very young and innocent, so what was a little kid doing there?

She raised her hands, holding the loot from the spider trainer in one and the share of the balloonist in the other, both soaked in blood, she was smiling at him.

"Oh, look at that, completely not creepy at all, I'm sure it has some kind of explanation, that we'll laugh together but..." said the dollmaker, then, he quickly shot with the gun hidden in one of the toys on his belt. "Ha, ha!"

Of course, a scumbag like him would have a trick like that. She hit the little girl with a barrage of bullets that just splashed through her, as if she was made of water, she disappeared in the waves, letting go a macabre chuckle.

From behind him, a wet hand grabbed him by the neck, pulling it below, making him unable to breathe. As if she was all the lake, the little lady was looking at him with an intense killing gaze. He was drowning, struggling with everything he had, but not achieving to free himself from her grip since he couldn't do anything to fight because she was made of liquid. While descending, he noticed the entire gang, lifeless, among many more people he didn't know who they were.

Just like the fools and pieces of cow faeces the other bandits were, he went to the bottom, dead, cold, kept away from the world. The girl emerged once more, on the surface, she was calm, but below, the worst awaited, ready for another to join the others.

While she was swimming in peace, the world started cracking, like a mirror about to break. After that, as if she ignored it until now, she took notice the water was instead of ink. A sudden thought passed through her mind, that she wrote that tale, of the Lady of the Lake, hence she might not be her. She couldn't manage to recover her memories of who she was, and how she ended up here. If she really wants to know, she'll have to leave the water behind her, but is she able to do that?

After her words, the mission was clear, and everyone rushed to different paths, for her, saving the rude-tongued girl of countless fears from her nightmare was the top priority.

From the fissure, a girl wearing glasses jumped next to her, which she fiercely pulled beneath the tides, drowning her. How she dared to approach the lake, her sanctuary, her first phobia, which she mastered, that she turned into a powerful weapon against the others, the Lady, where she would pull them breathless, into the bottom, just as they made her feel.

Wait, that girl... she knew her... she had an uncanny resemblance to... was she Maetda?

The world started to break more, there was no other way, she'll have to step from the water, or she'll also shatter. She tried to get out, but she wasn't able. She'll stay with her fears, who are in the lake, forever.

She made another attempt, this time, she managed to put a foot on the land, and she felt her many phobias returning to her mind, piercing through her skin like a constant painful scribbling.

She somehow managed to step with her other leg, and everything turned worse. She was running out of air, her heart was pounding so fast that it hurt, like having a thousand spikes inside about to explode.

She finally got entirely out of the water, and all the bandits she drowned, started moving, with their empty eyes not even looking at her, not as they needed them anyways, because they always found Eilie, no matter where she was. While they were coming from below, the sole thought of them being closer, made her feel she was fainting.

Before they can reach her, she falls through another crack recently made. She felt the chilling breeze of the night caressing her skin, and two arms who caught her gently, whoever it was her saviour, were now descending to the ground together.

"Idiot... don't do that, since im the lady of the lake... and I'll drown you with me, into the bottom of a lake..." said her to a blurry figure, before finally losing consciousness.