Sitting by the dock, I took off my boots and dipped my bare feet inside the crystal-clear lake as I admired the view. Compared to Montago Bay, Lake Raia was ten times bigger and the surroundings was filled with wild flowers blooming in the breeze. Bees and butterflies were mingling together as they hover around the flowers, collecting pollen and nectar for their colony.
It's beautiful here, I admired, as I tilted my head towards the clouds and breathed in the fresh, fragrant air in my surroundings. If only things were like this all the time.
"Enjoying the view?" a voice came up from behind. I turned around and saw Cassie standing behind me, smiling warmly at me. I gave a nod as she approached me and sat down beside me, wetting both her feet as well. "It's been a while since I've swum in the lake."
"Really?" my eyes widened, raising both of my eyebrows.
"Yeah. Lake Raia is one of the biggest lake in Angelis. It expands from Peersom and all the way to the ocean."
"Well, that is one huge lake," I chuckled. "And also, did you just say it reaches to the ocean?"
She bobbed her head. "Yeah, we have a beach in Angelis, though it's pretty far though. It'll take two days to arrive by horse, you know."
"That is pretty far. For me, I can just walk all the way to the beach from my house."
"That's so near," she sighed. "You must be lucky to go to the beach every day."
I shrugged and shook my head. "Not really, Cass. I only go there during the hot season. Other than that, the water is too cold for me to swim."
"It's a shame that you humans take things for granted."
I let out a snort. "I could say the same about you faeries. I mean, I've lived here for a month or two and I have never seen any of you fly at all."
"Well, fair enough," she laughed. "Though, you are confusing us with the Quentic Faeries."
"Wait, what?"
"Well, we are the Ruthian Faeries and we don't have wings and fly. The Quentic, on the other hand, were born with wings, and they are quite tiny compared to the rest of us, so yeah, that is the difference."
"That is fascinating, actually. Sorry that I sound ignorant but I always thought that all faeries are the same, you know."
"You are forgiven, Bugsy," she mused. "Besides, I also thought that all humans look alike as well, until you told me that they differ from where they live and the surrounding environment."
I hummed in approval as we gazed at the vie together when we heard horses galloping kilometres away from where we were sitting. "That must be the Sarge," I stood up, giving my hands to Cass. "He must have returned with the crazy family."
"I guess we'll have to see," Cass grabbed my hands and walked with me, racing to the Chief's front yard, where we stood in a straight line, in a rigid posture.
As Sergeant A'tynn, Lani and Jay arrived with the prisoners locked inside the cart, I glanced at the masked family, who were staring menacingly at me. I can tell that they held a huge grudge against me, and I don't like where this is going.
"Is everyone here?" he asked, as he got down from his horse, whose name is Fives.
"Yes, sir," I answered, giving him a salute. "We're all here, Sarge."
"Good. I need a few cadets to watch them while the guards question every one of them."
"I'll go, sir," Nat volunteered, stepping out of the line. "Along with Bugsy, Cass and Gatsby as well."
"Excellent," he grinned. "Come off you go, all of you. We have no time to waste."
Well that's just great. I was going to relax at the lake instead. God, why do I always get chosen for such tasks?
I gave a nod to the Sarge and followed Nat, hitting him on the shoulder. "Next time, choose someone else instead."
"Ouch," the blue-haired boy exclaimed, rubbing his arms. "That hurts, you know."
I rolled my eyes and stuck out my tongue. "You're just being a huge drama king."
"And you're just being a little bug!" he gave a nudge on my elbow.
"Did you just call me a bug?"
"Well, yeah," he lifted his shoulders. "I mean, your name is Bugsy, so I'm just going to call you a little bug instead."
That is the worst nickname I've ever heard in my entire life. "In that case, I'm calling you Bluey, 'cause your hair is blue as blueberries."
He raised one of his eyebrows in confusion. "What are blueberries?"
You know, the last time I answered his questions on robots, he was very clueless. I bet he'll be clueless again when I answer his question about blueberries. "Blueberries are fruits that belongs to the berry family, but they're blue and they taste really sweet."
He blinked twice, trying to process my words in his brain. "I don't even know what are you implying."
Of course, he doesn't. "Never mind, you always think with your dick anyways."
Cass and Gatsby snickered at our conversations as we continued to banter like an old married couple. "You guys should hurry," she suggested, as we stepped inside the Guard's headquarters. Both of the officers raised their hands in salute as Gatsby tugged the prisoners with a rope.
"Follow me," one of the commander spoke, leading us inside the cell block. Unlocking one of the cells, he tossed them inside, untying the rope around their arms. They just stared straight into my soul as the officer locked them inside, dangling the keys on his belt.
"They'll be here for a while," he informed us. "Once the Guards arrived, Lieutenant Fox will take them to court for trial, then it's off to jail for the parents."
"What about the kids?" Cass questioned him. "Will they be in jail with their parents as well?"
"Nope," he shook his head. "They will send to a children rehabilitation centre, where the therapists would help them out with the traumas they have gone through."
A brilliant idea, actually. I just hope nothing bad happens while the family stays here for a while. "I see," I gave a nod to them as I shook hands with him. "Thank you, officer."
"No problem, cadet," he tipped his cap.
"May I know your name, sir? I didn't really catch it earlier on."
"I'm Officer Hound of the Peersom Guards."
My lips curled into a slight smile. "It's an honour to meet you, Officer Hound. You did a great service to your town today."
He could only gleamed as I stepped out of the station and joined the three of my faerie friends, who were leaning against a large rock, gulping down their alcoholic drink while laughing.
"Hey guys," I waved at them, catching their attention. "What are you guys drinking?"
"Spirit," Cass answered me, offering me a bottle. "You want some?"
I took the bottle from her hands and took a sip. My face crinkled when I tasted the bitter, strong drink, prompting me to spit it out. Nat burst out in laughter at my crinkled face as he snatched the bottle from my hand, finishing it in one go. Cass could only shook her head as she let out a sigh of frustration.
"Watch how you're drinking," she slapped his arm. "It's only 1100 and you're already drunk."
"Relax, Cass. It's not like I drink every day."
She rolled her eyes and gestured Gatsby to follow her. "Whatever, Nat. Let's just hope you don't end up on cleaning duty again."
He stuck his tongue out and watched Gatsby and his sister leaving him alone at the rock pillars, along with me as well. "Aren't you going to tag along with them?" I pointed out.
He shook his head at me. "Nah, I'm just hanging out here for a while. Besides, it's a nice day today, isn't that right, Bugsy?"
I gazed at the clear, blue sky and nodded, sitting on the grass. "Yeah, it is a nice day, though it'll be getting hot later on."
"Yeah, you're right," he nodded. "We should head to a shadier place or something."
I agreed with his suggestion and strolled beside him, feeling the warm breeze blowing our surroundings. The trees in the forest were swirling as the emerald leaves began to pour, sticking on my hair and my tunic. Nat dusted them off while I let them be, not minding the leaves on my clothes.
With only the crickets humming in the background, I noticed the birds chirping along in their nest while the flowers continued to bloom on the earthy soil, with the mushrooms claiming their spaces on the tree bark and pollen floating in the air, like the fireflies at night.
"It's nice here," I smiled, glancing at Nat, who was dragging his feet, his eyes dazed. "Should we find ourselves a seat?"
"Yeah, we should," he agreed, leading me underneath a large tree and sat down. "God, my head hurts so much."
"Well, that's what you get for drinking," I joked, making him pout.
"That's not funny, Bugs."
"It is, Bluey. You just don't have the brains to listen to your sister, that's all."
He raised one of his eyebrows as he turned to me, leaning against the tree bark. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean, anyways? I thought we listen with our ears."
"Yeah, we do but you also need a brain to transmit whatever we heard through our ears or it will be utterly pointless."
He blinked his eyes twice, making me snort. "My goodness, I guess you do think with your dick after all."
"You're just jealous of me," he teased, nudging my ribs with his elbow.
"Jealous of what, Bluey?" I nudged back. "Like I said, I already have a boyfriend back home."
"Really, what's his name?"
"His name is Ferdinand. Pale skin, black hair, pretty tall and handsome, yeah, that's him alright."
"He sounds cool. What is he like?"
"He helps his mother in the corn field, he's friends with the girls, and he likes theaters."
"You're a lucky girl to have him as your boyfriend," he praised. "How long have you guys been together?"
"We knew each other since childhood. We were quite close to each other, actually, until the war started. We managed to kiss each other on the lips, though, that was the last time we had seen each other."
He frowned as he leaned closer to me, wrapping his arms around my shoulders, not that I mind. "What about your family? Are they alright?"
"I'll never get to say goodbye to him. Now I'll never hear his voice again. Now I'll never give one last hug to him," I recalled saying that to Aunt Inara, before running off from her at the snowy playground. God, I was so harsh towards her. She was the one who helped raise me after my mother died in childbirth. Though she nags at me, I really do miss her a lot.
"Hey Bugs," Nat snapped his fingers at my face, taking me back into the present. "You alright?"
Before I could say anything, I heard a loud shriek in the woods, prompting me and Nat to jump from our seats. "What the fuck was that?"
"I don't know, but I think I know where is it coming from," he said, offering his hands. "Come on, we should check it out before it's too late."
I took his hands and held on to him as we teleported away from the forest, finding ourselves in the same log cabin that Maria Konopova lived in. We both heard her screaming for help inside her room, making us rush towards her aide. When we arrived, we saw the same masked man who kept me inside the cage, holding a knife against her throat. "Stay back, or I'll kill her," he threatened.
We raised our hands in the air and took a few steps backwards, and found ourselves surrounded by the cannibal clan, who had their knives in their hands. Shit, how did they escape from their cell?
The head of the family cackled as Maria looked at me, with fear in her eyes. "What do you want from me?" she pleaded, tears flow from her hazel eyes. "Why are you doing this to me?"
"Someone is paying us, sweetheart," the wife answered. "We needed money to feed our kids. It's the only way for us to survive in the cold, harsh world."
"Who is it?" I demanded. "Who paid you guys to kidnap and kill her? Answer me, now!"
"We were told to keep his identity a secret," the man told us. "If we were to reveal everything, he will finish us all."
"Huh, so your client was a man, huh?" I chuckled. "Well, so much for the secrecy."
"Gosh darn it," the wife cursed. "Just pretend that you didn't hear what we ramble."
"Too late for that," Nat showed his middle finger. "We already know who was the client anyways. He must be a powerful man who somehow controlled the village of Peersom and paid you to do his dirty work."
"Ah, shit, Martha!" he cussed. "Now they know that the chief of Peersom was our client the entire time. You and your big, fat mouth."
I let out a loud gasp. So it was the chief the entire time? I knew something was up with him! I mean, that part where he claimed that he and Maria are a thing? Well, I don't even buy that shit he said.
Witnessing the couple quarreling with each other, Maria took the opportunity to stomp on the man's foot, making him yelp in pain. I managed to grabbed her hands and shot at the wife and the three children, heading towards the front door. Nat waved at them and bolted towards the back, much to my chagrin. "What are you doing?"
"Run, Bugsy," he shouted. "I'll try to distract them."
I wanted to argue but deep down, I have to warn Sergeant A'tynn and the Knights of Moon about the chief. They're probably going to be next on his list. I know it! They're going to kill them before the Guards arrive.
"Where are we off to?" Maria questioned, panting.
"We're seeing the Sarge. We have to capture the chief before he gets to them first."
"I know a shortcut to his home," she said. "Follow me."
I nodded and followed her through the thick shrub of the forest, along on the dirt road, which was similar to the ones back in Slaborough. With sticks and stones laying on the ground, Maria managed not to trip them, despite wearing her long skirt and long-sleeved shirt, with a V-neck collar and a ribbon on her chest, which acts like a button.
We slowly opened the gate behind his cabin and sneaked inside, breaking inside his house. "Looks like it's empty," I whispered, grabbing a round, hard fruit on the counter, climbing up the stairs with Maria. "We should check upstairs."
"Alright," Maria nodded. "I'll be here if you need me. Oh, and be careful. The chief tend to lusts after younger women like you and me. He can't keep his hands around them, apparently."
"I will, Maria, and thanks for the advice," I acknowledged, as I tiptoed towards a room, with the door shut tightly. This must be it. He must be inside here.
Taking a deep breath, I unlocked the door with my hairpin and stepped inside, only to be shot. The fruit that I was holding splattered all over my face, making the chief groan in frustration. "Fuck, I miss!" 477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmQsc11HL3
The Sarge shouted my name. "Bugsy!"477Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfPIlJScF85
"I'm okay, Sarge," I wiped the sweet, sticky juice off my face. "He just shot the fruit, that's all."
"You shouldn't have come here, you meatbag. I would have succeeded in my plan if it weren't for you cadets interfering."
"You're a monster," I spat. "How could you do this to your own people? You're the chief of the village. You're supposed to lead them, not hire a family to kill them off."
"You don't understand! I made a deal with a Mother of Demon in order to sustain this village! If I don't sacrifice someone in this village, she will come after me!"
The Mother of Demon? He made a deal with her? But why?
"I understand where are you coming from, Chief," Sergeant A'tynn spoke, in a calm manner. "However, that doesn't justify your actions towards innocent people like Maria Konopova. I'm afraid I have to hand you over to the Guards for hiring people to murder."
The scruffy chief shrieked as his hands began to tremble, making him drop his weapon on the carpeted floor. Falling onto his knees, he stretched out his face with his hands and yelled from the top of his lungs, exploding into pieces. Blood splattered all over the place, including my face and my tunic. It's just like what happened to James Larthow. He made a deal with the Mother of Demon, and he paid the price.
Lifting myself from the floor, I held my shoulder as I approached the Sarge, untying the rope around his hands. "Thanks, Bugsy," he got up. "Are your shoulders alright?"
"Never better," I hissed. "It's too bad I can't remove gunpowder from my wound."
He chuckled as Maria rushed towards us, with Nat by her side. "Thank goodness you're alive," she breathed in relief. "I was worried sick when I heard a gunshot."
"We're not really dead yet," I told her. "But we did find out that he's sacrificing the people in this village for the Mother of Demon."
"No shit!" Nat gasped, shivering in fear. "This is bad news."
"Indeed," the Sarge replied. "Hearing anything related to the Mother of Demon is never good news for us, even for you, Bugsy."
"Yeah," I nodded, looking at Nat. "And by the way, what happened to the cannibal family?"
He fell silent as we stood inside the chief's cabin, hearing the horses galloping at our location.
ns 15.158.61.17da2
