* * * * *
Madison.
Madison's consciousness quickened; her awareness and her will came to bear. Such was the power of the Voice of the Master-Creator, it could disturb the slumber of the eternal mountains, could turn the eyes of the cosmos upon his mouth so that they may anticipate -- and, they fervently hoped, witness -- the next expulsion of words and breath. Madison was neither the mountains nor the cosmos, yet her chosen form inspired a similar sort of awe that, in almost all cases, quickly transformed into horror.
Madison shifted in her place of rest. My Lord, she replied.
Your sleep has arrived at its end, Madison. The humans have settled into watchfulness; and while they are alert, they have also grown complacent, and they have already declared a type of peace throughout the land.
It is time for you to act, Madison. Your sister and remaining brother will soon follow.
Arise.
* * * * *
"Josef, stop!" Rhia shrieked, giggling and kicking at the surface of the water.
The boy named Josef broke the surface with an explosive release of breath, then grinned at the girl in front of him. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said.
Rhia feigned a pout. "You do too," she accused, wagging a finger at him. "You know all too well my feet are ticklish. Besides, if we keep getting loud like this, we'll draw attention! Don't you know other folks sometimes come down to this lake?"
"Of course I do," Josef replied, emerging from the lake dripping. He pushed the hair out of his face and began gathering the clothes he'd thrown off hastily at the edge of the water. He glanced again at Rhia, admiring her nudity and the way the sunlight seemed to shine from within her rather than around her. She was tiny and beautiful, and Josef knew he was hopelessly in love with her; he did not know, however, if Rhia returned his feelings, and was all too aware of the fact that she knew how he felt.
Rhia caught him looking at her and, reflexively, covered herself with her hands -- and then laughed. "Stop that," she said, half sounding as if she meant it. Her eyes twinkled mischeviously.
Josef's response was instantaneous.
* * * * *
I can feel them, Madison said softly. Their warmth. Their lives. Is it always thus, my Lord?
Always, my child. This gift, it is the way you will find the humans wherever they hide. It is my gift to you, as it was to Archimedes.
At the mention of her fallen brother's name, a pang of sadness coursed through Madison, followed by a sense of expectant triumph.
You honor your brother's defeat, Madison, the Master-Creator said, and Madison could vaguely sense his pleasure. Grieve for him when you must; avenge him in perpetuity. Slaughter those who reft his spirit from his body, Madison, and bathe in the blood of those who would oppose our righteous cause.
My Lord, Madison replied in a choked voice.
Go, my child. Let the humans know fear -- and then make those fears reality.
Madison's eyes flared, and from the bottom of the lake a luminous green light was suddenly visible.
* * * * *
Josef held Rhia tightly, his nose buried her matted hair. While this close, he could feel her heart beating against his chest, and Josef cherished that feeling. He did not know why he said what he said next -- perhaps he was caught up in the moment, his heart close to bursting with emotion; or possibly he had come to realize that hiding those very emotions was a mistake, and the easiest way to reveal how Rhia felt about him was, quite simply, to tell her how he felt about her.
"I love you," Josef murmured into her hair.
Josef did not know it then, but he would never know her answer.
* * * * *
In the Order of Straka barracks, a corporal was delivering his report to his superior.
"Where was he found?"
"Less than a league to the northeast of the Broken Dagger, sir," the corporal replied.
The sergeant grunted. "Accursed place," he said, spitting on the floor. One look at the corporal told him the man did not feel the need to disclose his feelings about the inn, if he indeed had any. The sergeant went on. "When you found him, what was his condition? Did he say anything?"
"He was in a state of shock, sir, but unwounded aside from some scrapes and bruises. He was not responsive until we had him secured in the gaol. At that point, he curled into a ball and began screaming for 'Rhia' -- a relative, we assume, or his girl. He also screamed about a lake and a monster. We found the lake, but we haven't located the girl, sir -- and if I may be frank?"
"Go on, corporal."
"I firmly believe she is no longer alive, and that there is no point in searching for her."
The sergeant stared at the man standing in front of his desk, frowning. "Why so?"
The corporal had been holding a wrapped object the entire duration of their conversation. Only now did he set it on his superior's desk and begin removing the wrappings.
The sergeant's frown deepened. "Corporal, if you don't explain this--"
"Please, sir. This will explain why."
The sergeant grunted again, but remained silent while the junior officer continued what he was doing. Eventually, the object was fully revealed: a rectangular box no more than three feet in length and width, and a little over a foot in depth. The corporal gestured for the sergeant to open the box -- and then, peculiarly, turned away.
The sergeant felt apprehension, but he was a man of some rank; he had been with the Order of Straka for almost a year, had proven himself to be reliable and hardworking. He had also seen some horrors during his service, but nothing quite prepared him for what was in that box.
He opened the box and gazed into it, and from within a young girl's eyeless, slack-lipped wan face gazed back at him. In places -- particularly around the eyes and mouth -- the skin had slipped, exposing the bone beneath. Around and beneath her head was her body, folded and tucked so that it would fit within the box, her bones clearly outlined underneath the thin veneer of skin.
The sergeant quickly turned away, and proceeded to vomit his entire breakfast on the floor next to him. When he had regained his composure, he stared at the corporal's back. "Is this what I think it is?" he rasped.
"Yes, sir," the corporal replied, his voice taking on a flat tone. The sergant could see the corporal was obviously shaken by his discovery, and he briefly admired the younger man's will -- and steel stomach. "It's her skin, hair, and bones, wholly intact but picked clean. We searched for her organs, but we found nothing except a large blood trail leading to the spot where we found this--" the corporal motioned at the box but did not turn around, "-- and more blood on the ground and nearby trees. We found her about a hundred paces north of the lake, and we chose to transport her this way under light guard to prevent frightening anyone."
"Gods!" the sergeant swore, glancing again at the box -- but not its contents.
"Hopefully they were merciful, sir, and she died quickly."
* * * * *
She was delicious, Madison said contentedly.
I am glad you approve, Madison.
Madison, having climbed into a tall, ancient oak to hide while her newly gathered body digested, could feel that very body moving sluggishly over her bones, its movement creating a sibilant rasping sound that was barely audible beneath the droning buzz and hum of its multitudes. It was vaguely comforting.
I must find more, Madison said, flexing her fingers in anticipation. The first time they ate does not compare to this! While they were inside her body eating, it was like drowning in ecstasy; I could feel all their pleasure and excitement while I watched them feast, and I could feel the human's life dwindling to nothingness. It is disappointing that the other fled before I could catch him; this form can be cumbersome. I must find more!
You will, my child, the Master-Creator said simply. And if somehow you cannot, then they will find you.
