Skylands Historia - Duality

Chapter 12 - The Great Escape

"Care for another cup, sweetheart~?"

Before Kaos could answer, a porcelain teacup had already been slid his way by a lacy, gloved hand; two others poured steaming liquid from a matching teapot into the cup. Both looked like they should be in some museum, aged black porcelain adorned with shimmering magenta cobwebs; not being served in the back of an eclectic old caravan. Then again, everything in the small ship gave off the same musky vibe... including their 'host'. Kaos had only met Mesmerelda a few times, being one of (if not the only) friend his mother had. He remembered listening in on their late night conversations from the hallway as a child, watching warped shadows cast from the firelight and peering in through the crack in the door as they laughed over cups of glistening mauve tea. Now, staring at his reflection in Mesmerelda's glassy magenta eyes, the memories came bubbling to the surface. Late night meetings when Father was off on expeditions, whispered talks behind locked doors, the puppets. Kaos shuddered. He has never been the kind to dislike puppets, but the ones Mesmerelda specialized in always made a chill run up his spine.

So the fact that countless were hanging from the ceiling of the small room, eyes all seemingly locked on him, definitely was not helping his nerves.

Mesmerelda finished pouring her own cup, humming softly to herself as her extra set of hands moved to the tune. Kaos looked down at his own cup, the steam curling up from its surface causing his vision to blur.

"Come now, darling. You've barely touched your tea cakes." Mesmerelda cooed, gaze locked on Glumshanks, who sat in the chair beside Kaos. Unlike Kaos, though, Glumshanks hadn't been tied down in countless layers of spider silk.

"O-Oh, I'm fine ma'am." Despite his best efforts, Glumshanks' voice shook.

He prodded one of the tea cakes set before him, then watched with wide eyes as a single tiny spider crawled out of the pastry and off of the side of the table. Kaos stuck his tongue out, brow furrowing in disgust. Mesmerelda just blinked, her smile never wavering on her angular face. Kaos took a moment to glance around the caravan, from the lacey curtains pulled over the frosted windows to the doilies and eclectic artifacts that lined every possible surface; devoid of dust but gathering cobwebs he knew Mesmerelda had no intention of cleaning. With her second set of arms, Mesmerelda poured her own cup of amber tea, finally sitting down at the head of the table. Shimmering, purple smoke billowed out around her, gathering on the mauve, carpeted floor. She took a sip, licked her lips, then leaned forward.

"So. What brings you two to this little corner of the islands?" She cooed, locking eyes with Kaos across the table from her.

Kaos shifted slightly in his chair, chuffing. "I could ask you the same thing, arachnid."

"Now, that's no way to talk to someone who's practically family."

Kaos just rolled his eyes, squirming against the shimmering webs wrapped around him. He looked to Glumshanks, the troll's eyes still trained on the plate in front of him. He looked back up just as one of Mesmerelda's spindly hands grasped his face, squishing his cheeks.

"My my, how you've grown. I barely recognized you! I'm so glad I did, though; this is no place for a small boy like you." She chided, tilting his head side to side, examining every inch of it, cloying sweetness dripping from her words like venom. "Especially without your mother around to protect you."

"I don't need protection!" Kaos spat, slamming his knees against the underside of the table.

Mesmerelda pulled her hand away in surprise as Kaos' teacup tipped over, steaming liquid quickly seeping into the maroon tablecloth. Her smile fell for only a second before she stood to her full height. She checked her dress for any stray splashes before clicking her tongue.