The Bird and the Garden 3: The Final Adventure

Chapter 32: Grimmore, the Twilight City, Part One

Salem's eyes were the first to open, the princess feeling very groggy. Her feet dragged against the cobblestone ground, a pair of inhuman hands holding her wrists. Two hooded figures looked down at her, matching smiles growing across their thin, gaunt faces.

"Ooh, they're waking up!"

Salem collapsed when they let go, slowly picking her head up. Yin fell next to her, the healer groaning quietly. The Cultists paid them no mind, clasping their wiry fingers together. "It's been so very long since anyone has gone to that meeting place! Kev was so happy that his waiting was worth it!"

Verde squeaked when she hit the ground, followed soon by Vao and Sasha. Salem shivered, her heart beginning to pound in her chest. It wasn't just the two Cultists that stared down at them. Dozens of hooded figures surrounded the adventurers and the children, their happy smiles tainted with their insanity. An elderly woman pushed her way to the front, bending down to offer her hand. Salem gently accepted it, the Cultists pulling the adventurers to their feet.

"Please, please! The ground is dirty! You'll get sick, dear!" The old woman said in a raspy, aged voice. "That would just be awful!"

Was she... Genuinely worried for them? The thought startled Salem to the core. When the Cult was under her command, something such as concern for the well-being of their own was a foreign concept. Another Cultist approached, wooden fingers reaching out for a cheerful, excited handshake. An ent; a species of tree-like nonhumans.

"Oh, the journey must have been so arduous... You must be hungry. Would you like something to eat? Drink, perhaps? I can show you the way to the inn! We could start building you a home immediately!"

The adventurers were blown away, standing frozen in shocked silence. After seeing the First Vao, after remembering what he was like, they were unprepared to be showered with concern and affection.

"That will be quite enough."

Yin's blood ran cold when he heard the voice. He felt a chill running down his spine, Vao and Verde looking up with worried confusion. The Cultists parted to reveal the doll-maker, her black dress with the scarlet frills concealing her feet, giving the illusion that she was gliding over the ground.

"R-Ru-"

Verde reacted quickly, pinching his rear. The dullahan yelped and flinched, promptly shutting his mouth. Ruby stared for a moment with an unreadable, expressionless stare before a small smile crossed her lips. "... Welcome. We've been expecting you for a long while, now."

Their disguises were still up, they realized. To Ruby, they didn't look like the adventurers she was familiar with. Yin felt Sasha shift behind him, her hand curling around his own. He didn't get what could've scared Sasha, of all people. Sasha was huge, and Ruby was tiny compared to her. Even with the Blood, Sasha could lift Ruby off the ground in her sleep. It was only when he looked near his sister's feet that he saw what Sasha was frightened by.

Six dolls peered out from behind Ruby's dress, staring at the adventurers with empty, glassy eyes. Ruby's doll-making had improved since the last time Yin saw her. She had even painted the eyes, the pupils moving around as if the dolls used them to see. The dolls stood on their own, as if they had life flowing through them.

"Wot... The... Fuck..."

Neither Vao nor Verde corrected Violet. Ruby stepped forward, the dolls following close behind. The doll-maker gave them a pleasant smile, extending her cold hand. "My name is Ruby Rose," she greeted politely. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Salem reached out, a shiver running down her spine. Ruby wasn't as cold as the First Vao, but it was still like gripping a late-autumn breeze. She pulled away as quickly as she could without offending her or worse; raising suspicion. Ruby tilted her head, staring at them with her dull silver eyes. She didn't say anything. Instead, she turned and beckoned them to follow her.