Page 34 of Love & Monsters
I’m sure hours passed, but I just wasn’t present for them. The only thing that occasionally brought me out of the cage of my mind was Vadric’s hand on my waist, holding me against him in the saddle, squeezing me reassuringly. Then my thoughts would slip into that void again.
I didn’t want to see the weird birds flying overhead with four wings and spider eyes or the strange critters flitting through the trees with tar like skin that shrieked at one another. This world horrified me, and I wasn’t right in the place to think about being stuck here for the rest of my life. If I tried to make sense of my life now, I might go insane.
Being in that senseless state of mind, I drifted off easily. Sleep came to me on the steadily rocking saddle as my exhausted body melted into Vadric behind me. His arm wrapped around my waist without question as I slept, holding me close and keeping me on the beast with him.
In my dreams, everything was red. I was back on earth, but the sky turned crimson. I could see the outlines and bodies of my family, but their faces were blank, until forming into something grotesque trying to imitate them. One nightmare after another.
“Mina,” Vadric whispered, “we’re going to stop for the night.”
Bolting upright as the beast under us stopped, I felt my heart throw itself into my throat. I licked my dry lips and blinked the sleep from my eyes, trying to take in the area we were in. The hot spring was long gone, but I heard the slow trickle of a stream nearby. Here the trees drastically transformed. Instead of black bark, they were as white as dry bones. The leaves were still ruby red, as if someone had painted them with blood. There was no underbrush here with plenty of space for the skeletal horses and a makeshift camp for the night.
Vadric swept over the side of the beast and took one quick glance around the area. Once he assessed what he needed and deemed the space appropriate, he returned and helped me slide down from the saddle.
I caught sight of Anakis tying the beasts to a low-hanging branch and involuntarily flinched at her face. Thankfully, I didn’t think she noticed. Even if her face scared me, I didn’t want to be rude toward a friend of Vadric.
“Anakis, can you set up the tent? I’m going back down to where the stream widens to fish.” Vadric left the bag at my feet while his friend began pulling supplies from the saddlebags on her beast’s back. “Mina, stay here and don’t wander off. I’ll return shortly.”
“I know how to fish. Can’t I come with you?” My eyes widened, silently begging him not to leave me with Anakis.
“Your pet questions your command?” she asked in her odd hissing voice.
“Anakis,” Vadric snarled, holding up a hand in her direction. A warning.
Her four eyes blinked individually at me, then she went back to unpacking for the night.
“You’re obviously tired. Just rest until I return. I won’t be long.” He reached for me before dropping his fist at his side. After nodding at Anakis, sharing a wordless command, he turned and vanished through the bone-white trees. It wasn’t long before the darkness swallowed him up.
There were many awkward moments in my life, and this quickly asserted itself as one of the top five. I didn’t know what else to do at first, other than stand there while Anakis silently set up a tent that looked like something out of an old western movie, except much larger to accommodate demon size.
“Do you need any help?” It took longer than I’d like to admit for me to build up the courage to ask.
Anakis leaned her head back to look at me. At least, I assumed she looked at me. She had no iris or pupil in those eyes. Just entirely white and glowing.
“No,” she croaked back before going back to work. “Small human hands would be useless. Just sit as your master commands.”
Now I fumed. But damn it, she was right. I didn’t know how to help, and Anakis didn’t want it. I had nothing else to do but stomp my foot and sit in the grass, steaming from the ears with my arms crossed.
When Vadric finally came back with five eel looking fish, it was to find me pouting as Anakis stoked a fire. There still wasn’t anything for me to do as he skinned them, and the silence was unbearably awkward. I didn’t know how to interact with Vadric when there was someone else with us and I was pretending to be his pet.
I stayed silent as we ate. Vadric and Anakis quietly went back and forth about creatures to hunt in the woods, and which was the best to eat. Meanwhile, I picked at my weird fish and forced myself to eat as much of it as I could.
Eventually Vadric could tell I was sitting there not joining his conversation. I pretended to stretch and yawn the instant his head turned in my direction. Maybe if I made enough of a show, I could go to sleep again.
“Mina, are you ready to turn in for the day?” He picked up more of the fish cooking over the fire. “Did you eat enough? Are you full?”
“No, I’m good. I am tired, though.” I waved off the eel-fish before he could force feed it to me.
Vadric turned to Anakis and tilted his head down. “We’ll head in for the night. Are you alright to take watch?”
“Yes,” Anakis hissed, not looking up at Vadric. Instead, she slurped down the abandoned fish. I shuddered at the sight.
“Come on.” Vadric rose and offered his hand to help me up. He took us to the impressive tent Anakis built earlier, holding the flap open for me.
There were several thick bedrolls laid out on the ground and they stashed the saddlebags in the front corner. It felt spacious to me, but I’m sure it seemed cramped for Vadric.
Then I realized we were alone again. It didn’t matter that Anakis was on the other side of the small clearing. This was enough of a shield for me to release my mental and emotional walls from the day. I collapsed on the top bedroll, exhaling heavily.
“Are you alright, little one?” Vadric asked at the sound of my obnoxious sigh.
