I rushed to Elliott's side but Abby pushed past me and dragged him to his feet, lugging him into the tent and laying him down into an already bloodied cot seperate from the other two parallel to the one Elliott had been dropped onto.
"Stupid boy. You rely too much on Auntie Abby." She mumbled to him in Infernos.
"You... you speak that language too?" I asked, a bit stunned at hearing my mother tongue again.
"I come from The Beneath, why would I not speak Infernos? And you? How come you know this language?" She asked me, now in Common Tongue. Her accent made a bit more sense to me now, as I remember my father having one similar to hers.
"My father lived in The Beneath for a few years before he met my mother. He had to learn it there and later tought me the language as well." I explained.
"Can you read the Wandering Scripts as well?" She asked, scurrying off to a small bookshelf stocked with scrolls and tomes. She pushed a thin scroll into my arms and beckoned me to open it. The familiar moving symbols on the page jumped out at me.
"Mushroom Stew? That's actually my favourite dish!" I told her with a smile, "Why do you have an Infernian Scroll for Mushroom Stew?" I giggled as she snatched it away from me.
"It is a very secret recipe. One moment." She mumbled and hurried to her pot. A moment later, she pushed a bowl of mushroom stew into my hands and pointed at Elliott.
"Would you mind giving him some before I have to use up my spells? Once his condition gets worse, my potions don't like to work on this stupid boy." She explained and I got to work, kneeling by his side and slowly giving him the stew. With each sip, another wound scabbed over until the bowl was empty and his skin was devoid of any scars. Once he came out of his dazed state, he sat up and stared at me. That is when I noticed his feline pupils... they were thin, almost completely gone.
"Elliott? Are you alright?" I asked carefully. Suddenly a wide grin crossed his face and he cocked his head to the side.
"Well who might this be?" His voice was scraggly and high. I gasped and stumbled back, being pushed towards the entrance by Auntie Abby.
"You break my bottles and I break you!" She warned, sneering at me through the mess of black curles that coiled out in every direction. I gasped for breath as I got up. Elliott's head turned to me, still smiling widely.
"Abby does not seem to be happy with you, girly. I wonder why you're so scared. Did someone try to kill you, darling?" He asked, his voice shaking with anticipation.
"Elliott, what are you talking about?" I asked, placing my hand on the entrance flap. He burst into loud, hiccuping laughter and crawled off of the cot, dragging his body onto the floor until he forced himself to stand.
"Come on, my dear! Show me what makes you so special!" He lurched forward, grabbing onto me. I tripped and fell on the dirt outside. Elliott stayed silent, his eyes closed. I stared at him, finding it difficult to control my breathing when suddenly he gasped. He scrambled off of me.
"W-what happened? What did he-" he paused, staring off into space for a moment. Then his eyes met mine.
"What did Ronin do?" He asked, "Why are we outside? Did he hurt you, Decoda?" I kept my distance as I stared at him, bewildered.
"I'm so sorry, Decoda. Ronin doesn't like Aslantians. He's used to the nature of Osrocan and other Beneath Wanderers." He explained.
"Other Beneath Wanderers? I thought you were an Osrocan." I asked, confused.
"I am. Ronin as a Malignant. He is a Beneath Wanderer that has taken refuge in my body to protect me... at least I think so." He mumbled, struggling to stand. As he lost his balance, I caught him. I helped him back into the tent to find Auntie Abby searching through the bottles that cluttered the biggest cabinet. I set him down into the cot and he sat hunched with his elbows resting on his thighs.
"Im sorry about him. He likes to scare away any newcomers." He muttered.
"What's a Malignant?" I asked, stepping closer to allow Auntie Abby to pass, her arms piled with viles and bottles. As she started humming again, he let out a deep sigh.
"Vengeful spirits that roam The Beneath, looking for hosts for their parasidic needs. I wouldn't say it's a symbiotic relationship. It's a symbiotic relationshit." He chuckled and I joined in, "Anyway, Ronin is a nasty asshole who's got more than a few screws loose."
"You can say that again!" Auntie Abby chimed in. She laughed as she went back to whatever she was doing. Once I realised that the sun had set, Auntie Abby offered me a place to stay, telling Elliott to sleep in the bloody cot for the night. He gave me an embarrassed smile and I returned a timid one.
Time crept by too slowly. My thoughs swirled in my mind. I had to do something about Kaylum. He had to pay. And Auntie Abby had just.the thing.
The room lit up as if illuminated by sunlight but no candles or lanterns had been lit. I slid out of the cot and headed to Auntie Abby's potion cabinet. On the lowest row I read a few lables in Infernos. One crammed in the back read "deep pain - possibly lethal." A burning pang shot through my chest again. I was beginning to get sick of that feeling.
As quietly as I could manage, I opened the cabinet and slowly pulled the small vile out. I closed the cabinet and snuck out of the tent, escaping into the darkness of night. I kept vigilant for any Endoran. I started rushing back towards the house Alex and I had started to call home. Once back in a familiar forest, already a few hours into the night, I headed towards the mountainous terrain. Then I saw the light of our cottage and rage boiled inside me. When I headed quietly up the path, I noticed a familiar silhouette. My hands balled themselves into fists.
I had to avenge her.
YOU ARE READING
Malion
Fantasy"I stared into the vast bright sky. As I did, I felt a strange longing to take off into the blue as if I had wings. That urge got stronger as I reached the top of the hill I had been climbing. I walked up to a ledge and stared at the trees below. I...
