Page 56 of The Tenth Muse

Donella talks like we’ll see each other again. Maybe that’s part of the culture where they’re from? But no sense in derailing our conversation when things are going so well. Besides, I feel so much more at ease with the gentleness they’re giving me.

“Okay?”

I get another glance at Donella’s gorgeous smile when they say, “Good. Now, these two. You have found yourself in the awful company of Marlmadine and Henrietta Clairce. They’ve been at this for centuries, summoning lesser demons and forcing them to rip youth from a human sacrifice, always suspiciously unconscious and reeking of liquor, in order to be let go. I know this must have been scary for you, but you did the right thing Lellies.”

“Thank you.” I smile, watching them pace back and forth like a history teacher powering through a passionate lecture. They’re on my side, they’re going to take care of this, I can relax now.

Also, that explains why I woke up when they didn’t expect me to. As scary as this whole situation was, now that I’m safe I’m so glad they grabbed me and not one of the girls. My heart aches just thinking about what would’ve happened had it been Rachel or Nneke. I hope they got home alright.

“However,” Donella continues, “I’m remiss to tell you, you aren’t quite done with them yet.”

Donella moves over to the couch on the far side of the living room and beckons me to them. Once I’m seated, our knees almost touching, they explain, “The Clairce sisters will be charged with illegal spell use and fraudulent shape-shifting in my realm. I would rather kill them where they lay and be done with it but Jarren gets prickly about us demons killing humans without a direct order. He’s a god, and the ruler of my realm, and he likes to hold court and have a trial before we can punish or kill humans.”

Donella pauses and I look at my shoes, taking a moment to let this soak in. They said he’sagod, notthegod.

“But also, if they’re on trial, is there a possibility of them getting out of this as not guilty?” I ask Donella, who reaches over to take one of my hands in theirs.

“That’s what I was getting to Lellies, I need you to come with me and stand as a witness. I know it’s not fair to have to put your trauma on display just to get some semblance of justice or retribution, but you being there will guarantee their sentencing. And Jarren would be able to tell if you were under a spell or coerced to lie, so when he sees that you’re voluntarily telling the truth, he’ll believe you. I will keep you safe in my realm and return you to your home, or wherever you’d like, when it’s over.”

Donella tugs on my hand and I lift my head to look them in the eyes.

“I know you want to make sure they can never hurt anyone else again; this is the way to do that. But it doesn’t mean you have to. You could also walk away, right now, and I will still take them to my realm and, at the very least, they won’t be able to return here.”

“Okay,” my voice squeaks on accident, “Can you give me a minute to think?”

“Absolutely,” Donella says, squeezing my hand gently with a smile. I put my head in my hands after they leave the couch and try to go over everything they’ve told me with a fine-tooth comb.

They come from another realm. That’s shocking, but better than knowing random beings could just appear on Earth willy-nilly.

I would be silly not to take a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to go to another realm when they’ve already promised to keep me safe and bring me back home, right?

And is sending the sisters to another realm good enough? What if they find someone to sacrifice there? Will society ever be safe from them?

That feels like too big of a decision to make on my own. A god would know better, right? And he’d be able to actuallydosomething about it. And it’s not like here on Earth where I have to prove what happened to me. He’ll be able to see that I’m telling the truth, simple as that. I feel like I should go justforthat reason, in honor of all the women in the world that weren’t believed in court. Like Neil Armstrong said, one small trial for me, one liberating case for all the girls, gays, and theys that weren’t listened to.

Well fuck me and call me Betsy, I'm going to another realm tonight.

The lightbulb in the lamp next to the couch turns on and I turn to see Donella pointing at light sources all around the room, each one brightening instantly. When they’re done, I stand and call their name. “I’m coming with you.”

Donella sighs, passing a hand over one of their horns, “Lellies—thank you.” They keep eye contact with me as they walk back over. The silence between us is calm, warm, I can feel a buzz of frenetic energy when they grab my hands.

“Iwillkeep you safe, have no doubt about that.” When a tall and powerful demon is going all protective over you, it’s practically impossible to have doubts. All I can do is nod my head, I believe them.

“Let me clean up here and we’ll be on our way, okay?”

“Okay,” at least this time I managed words. Donella goes back to their task, snuffing out the fire below the cauldron and using their magic to sit both witches up on the floor, addressing them for the first time tonight.

“I don’t owe you two a morsel of respect, but because I respect myself and my morals, I will let you know what’s about to happen. I am turning you into roaches.”

Um, ew.

“And I will keep you in a box. You will be transported to The Jarren Realm safely and no harm will come to you before your trial. But rest assured you will face your wrongdoings and take accountability for them.”

Just as they finish speaking, Donella points to them and Marlmadine and Henrietta hover off the floor for just a moment before being turned into bugs. Donella produces a small box about the size of a hand from … somewhere and they float into the box so they can close it.

“Come with me,” they say with the wave of a hand, and we both step out of the cabin’s front door. Finally out of the cabin, I get my first look at where we are. In the middle of nowhere. Thesun is coming up, I can see the thick woods we’re surrounded by. I never would have made it out of here on my own.

“Lellies, stand with me please,” Donella calls out, snapping me from my thoughts. Once beside them, a hazy wall of energy rises from the ground to surround us. “I’m about to destroy the cabin. This dome will keep us safe from debris.” I nod and watch them work. I appreciate that they let me know what’s coming and get my consent before moving forward. It makes me feel more in control and puts me at peace with my decision to travel with them.

---