Passion (Book 1 of "The Fantasy of Life" Series)

Chapter 29

Ashanaya

Walking was not a very fun thing to do, it is even less fun when you have a 15 year old human girl bouncing behind you constantly asking if we're there yet and if she can have 'dibs' on killing the woman who killed your mother. I'd began to question question whether or not it was actually beneficial to bring the little heathen.

"So I can't kill her?" Kel asked for the 19th time. "Well that's not a lot of fun."

"This isn't exactly supposed to be fun." Marhara answered her, probably sensing my frustration.

"For you maybe. You're old." She said it as if that was a very obvious reason.

"32 isn't that old, to humans that'd be like being 26." He smiled at her.

"That's still old." Kel sighed and looked ahead of her. Her normal wide steps weren't as obnoxious as usual.

"Everything alright, Kel?" I asked.

"I was thinking about my brother, Geoffrey. I was thinking about going back. Daft, yeah? Well, no. The way he looked at me back in Hope, I must've really messed up his life. While we're out her fighting all these little baddies, I'm the only baddie to him." She seemed lost in thought, which wasn't something I saw often.

"I'm sure he's fine, besides, he deserves some pain after what he did to you." I answered, I slowled down so I could try and comfort her.

"No. No one should have to hurt. What you said there, that's revenge, revenge is ugly. I don't know why everything has to be an eye for an eye and all of that stupid stuff. I never thought of the bad I put him through after I left, the Cromwell's weren't nobles but we never had money problems, but after mom and dad were gone things got harder, Geoffrey had me do things for some money because he couldn't get it all on his own. Nothing too bad, he didn't make me a harlet, he still had some morals, but I had to clean some stupid noble's house everyday, and somehow everyday I went there it was only dirtier, no matter how much I cleaned the day before, it was worse the next, then I got home to a bottle over the head. as far as I knew he hadn't worked in 3 weeks. Called him a crotch-rotted piss bucket and ran away." She recounted it all with such clarity it was scary. "I should've just kept my head up, it would've been okay, yeah? Everything gets better after a little while. It just takes time, that's how the world works innit? But I didn't see it that way, I'm exactly what everyone says I am, a stupid kid."

"That's not true, sure you're a bit.. uppity, and hard to understand sometimes, but you're a good person, and funny when we need it." I patted her back reassuringly.

"You really think so?" She looked up at me.

"Definitely." I smiled.

"Well, if the matriarch herself thinks that then maybe it's true." She smiled back.

"Not the matriarch remember."

"To our little group you are." She pointed out. "And York over there, he's like our Sharman-thingie."

I laughed a little. "Well, I guess my mother can be proud of me after all."

"Oh right, your mum. Daft that, I'm sorry." She wasn't great at being sympathetic but it seemeed like she genuinely was trying to help. "We'll get back at little Ms. Edgy for that. After having her little minions attack me twice over the past two days I'd really like to stick a knife through her skull. Speaking of that, York yeah? He's got some serious magic."

I looked back at him, he was talking to Valen, possibly about the events at the mountain. "Yeah, he just doesn't hold back, and that's dangerous."

"You hold back?" She asked.

I nodded. "You don't think the best I can do is draw pictures in the air?"

"I assumed. I think everyone here holds back a little, you haven't really seen me fight yet, but we've all got something special, we're all baddies on the inside. Well, Oldie and Valen haven't got it yet, but Valen doesn't really need it." She sure knew how to talk a lot.

"Oldie?" I asked laughing a little.

"Yeah. His name is stupid." She pointed to Marhara.

"It's just elven." I said.

"Well elves need to stop being so serious all the time. Humans need to stop being so boring, nymphs are pretty cool but it's freaks me out how.. prominscrumptious.. they are?" She had problems with bigger words apparently.

"Promiscuous?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah that. York said it was only water nymphs, but you talk to any nymph and you're gonna fall in love with them. I heard it was like that for kindreds too, I like women but I don't know if I like bug women." She was playing with her fingers then she stretched. "Guess I'm just weird. I like anyone, Valen's pretty hot, but then, so are you, so is York, humans are boring but they can be interesting sometimes, but bugs are a little bit too far."

"Not a lot of people have seen kindreds, maybe they're not as bug-like as you think. Or maybe they look like butterflies." Not sure why I was defending them.

"Have you seen a butterflies face? Scary, that." I wasn't sure how she could stay completely serious on such strange topics.

"Alright then." I laughed.

"Hey. Thanks, I feel a bit better now. Maybe when this is over I'll go see if Geoffrey is okay, but I won't do anything stupid, I swear it." She smiled at me.

"I'll hold you to that."