Devilish Love

18. Spiritual Talk

Chapter 18: Spiritual Talk

The twins wanted to talk. I was surprised that they wanted to do that, but I patted the sofa and we all flopped down. We looked at each other awkwardly. I guess none of us were really very good at socialising. I eyed the spirits. They were loyal servants, and maybe I wanted to tell them about my task. Maybe I wanted other people to know, so they could help me.

"Can I trust you two?" I decided to ask tentatively, breaking the silence.

The twins blinked. "Probably not," they replied simultaneously. Ianthe rushed to add "Ma'am, we are not permanent like you are. We will have to return to nature one day. Or"- she shared a look with her twin, and they had a silent conference, before Ianthe continued – "Or something. So if you were to entrust us with an important task, we may not live to carry it out." Her voice trembled a little.

I knew she had wanted to say something else earlier. I remembered her talking very briefly about her master- the boss who had hired her to work in Halfway To Heaven. Ianthe had referred to her as "Missus". She hadn't sounded nice at all. Maybe something about the Missus. But I decided not to pry. Since the twins didn't pry into my business, who was I to pry into theirs?

Gadina frowned. "Ma'am, is something bothering you? You have been quiet ever since the banquet with the Underworld rulers."

I sighed and leaned back into the soft cushions behind me. "Yeah, actually, something is bothering me. I don't know what to do."

The twins were quiet for a moment. I realised, with a jolt, that they were trying to give me space to gather my thoughts and speak. They didn't pester me or keep asking questions like stupid humans did. In a way, the people of the afterlife were so much better than the Earth humans. Thank gods for that.

"Well...maybe I'll just spill everything," I told the twins.

"Wow. You sure, Ma'am?" Gadina asked. I figured she was the more outgoing one of the two; she always spoke up louder than Ianthe did. Ianthe spent most of the time apologising or bowing her head, it made me sad that she was so submissive.

I smiled. "I guess I can't die anyway."

"You can be tortured," the twins chorused happily.

"Ughhh! Thanks so much for reminding me," I groaned. "But seriously, I don't think I can do this alone. Hell, I only have six months."

So in the end, I told the twins everything. I felt relieved telling them the whole story. Their faces were full of horror, so much so that I looked down to avoid seeing their faces. I picked at the threads on the sofa and asked quietly "Do you hate me yet?"

A soft hand covered mine, and a softer voice said "No, Ma'am. You were probably too enamoured by Heaven to think rationally. Although Heaven is not that great, as a human who must have worshipped Heaven, you must have wanted to enter very badly."

Tears welled in my eyes. "Y-you don't hate me?" I confirmed.

When I raised my head to meet their eyes, Ianthe was looking at me with compassion in her blue eyes. She was too kind, too nice, too sweet for this world. Ianthe didn't deserve to be my servant. She deserved to be Queen of a land.

Gadina, however, was staring at me. "I can't believe you signed the document of good deeds that weren't yours," She said in a whisper.

I hung my head. "That isn't one of my proud moments," I admitted softly.

"Ma'am, what you did was wrong, and I cannot sugarcoat that fact. Ianthe, my twin, may be blind to your faults, but I am not. Yet I stand by you too. You are our saviour, and no matter what, I know your heart is there."

I choked out a laugh, sobbing as I did so. "Oh, Gadina, of course my heart is there. How am I still alive-"

The irony hit me after I said it. I wasn't alive. Well...whatever. I hugged the twins.

Ianthe turned to Gadina and said in a stage whisper "Gad, you can't just scold Ma'am like that. She ranks higher than us, you know."

I laughed. "No, I like that you guys are honest. It's okay. You know, I think this is the first real talk all three of us have had."

"True words, Ma'am," Gadina nodded. "So will you be saving the love of your life?"

I nodded solemnly, my eyes locking with hers. "But I don't know where Ajax is." Also, he was the love of my life, but I'm dead now. He isn't the love of my death. But I don't say that. 

The water spirit sitting in front of me gave me a sly smile. "That's where I come in, Ma'am."

In no time at all, Ianthe had transformed into water vapour, and I couldn't see her at all. I assumed that she had left the room in her airy form. Gadina and I waited in the room as Ianthe went out on her secret mission to find out where Ajax was being kept. We didn't know how she would manage that, but we trusted her.

"Can you turn into something else too?" I asked.

Gadina sighed. "I am not as fluid as Ianthe is. It just isn't in my nature. But I a capable of transforming into different types of plants."

So many puns. Gadina was good at puns. I giggled. "That's cool," I remarked. But I secretly thought that Ianthe's transformations were more cool.

Gadina's lip twitched. "Ma'am, I know you think Ianthe is cooler."

I gave her a sheepish smile. "Just don't go green with envy, Gadina."

We cracked up after that. Dramatically wiping away non-existent tears, Gadina said honestly "Ma'am, thank you for talking to me today. I really needed someone to talk to and just have fun. I haven't done this ever. Not even with my twin."

"Gadina," I mumbled. I was going to ask a question I'd always wanted to. "When you first met Ianthe and me at the restaurant...Ianthe said you should be dead. What did that mean?"

"Ah, that," Gadina nodded. "Well, Ma'am...it goes like this. I had escaped from working there as a slave, and Ianthe thought she would never see me again. After all, when I had set off running, I may or may not have angered Missus."

"Man, you go, girl. I look up to you." I said, looking down at the short little spirit.

We giggled. Gadina puffed out her chest proudly and said "Yup. I'm amazing. So Missus sent her very best to chase me, to capture me and lock me in one of the Underworld prisons. Or maybe to dump me in an Underworld state, which is just as bad. I evaded them for centuries. Ianthe lost hope, I suppose. I felt bad about leaving my sister behind, but she didn't want to come. She was afraid."

"Your...Missus treated you really badly, right?" I asked.

Her voice turned sober. "She is a demon, the Missus. A witch and a demon. A true creature of the Underworld." She swallowed hard, and continued "My sister and I both had equally hard times, Ma'am. Ianthe endured abuse and starvation. I evaded my capturers and spent my nights on garden floors or whatever I could find to rest for the night."

I placed a hand on her thin arm. "Well, Gadina, you're really strong, and so is your sister. I wish I could be more like you," I said sincerely.

She blinked multiple times and croaked out "Thanks, Ma'am."

Ianthe materialised in front of us, a few water droplets spattering on Gadina and I. Gadina immediately turned greener. "Ianthe, stop making me photosynthesise!" She hissed.

Ianthe shrugged. "Gad, there isn't sunlight here. How are you even photosynthesising?"

Gadina turned slightly greener, then returned to her normal state. "No idea," she said. "I hate science," she added as an afterthought.

"Same," Ianthe and I agreed.

I turned to Ianthe. "So what do you have, my water spirit?"

Ianthe's pretty blue eyes darkened. "Your boyfriend is in a worse place than I thought possible. I do not know if we can break him out, and what condition he will be in if we succeed in freeing him."

I'm so sorry. I know I literally haven't updated in a month. Is it too much to hope for votes and comments? If you're feeling nice today please vote. It'll make me happy. Thank you♡