Day: 305 (Blood Moon)
Days Left: 5175
Lives Saved: 1
Seeing the shrivelled and peeled skin of the water nymphs and their sunken faces, Lili steeled herself and continued to paddle with her paws furiously to keep up with Harmony. As she was entranced, Harmony was undeterred and unresponsive to the horrifying creatures and swam directly towards the mask despite a wall of water nymphs blocking her path.
Daina zoomed effortlessly through the water and positioned herself in between Harmony and the nymphs. She recoiled her head back then screamed. Though it could not be heard, it reverberated and rippled the water, causing a wave to send the nymphs back. Not reacting at all to what just happened, the entranced Harmony continued onwards to her mask. The nymphs that had been knocked back by the soundwave flailed their arms in a futile attempt to return to their previous position.
This was easy, thought Lili. A little too easy.
Gliding over, Daina shrieked at the other water nymphs, the soundwaves sending them flying back. As their legs were still tethered to the large rocks that kept them grounded and underwater, the nymphs would eventually float back to their original position. But it was a long enough time gap for Harmony to swim past them all.
With every scream, Daina was getting weaker and weaker, running out of energy. She had never had to use her banshee powers this frequently before and it was starting to take a toll. The soundwaves barely moved the nymphs. Fortunately, both Harmony and Lili were now out of reach so Daina could have a quick rest. The nymphs attempted to grab at her with their rotting hands but they merely phased through the banshee's spectral body.
Everything was going smoothly.
That was until Harmony's body began to writhe and jolt. Her mouth gasped open and a jet of bubbles escaped, allowing the black water to go in. Though in the Eternal Abyss you could hold your breath for longer, it seemed that Harmony was at her limit. Despite suffocating, the entranced woman continued swimming down to the sea-bed, her hands clawing at the dark sand to uncover her mask.
Lili dove down, her legs aching. Tigers weren't exactly built for swimming this deep. They had to finish this quickly. She was herself almost at her limit, her chest twisting and pressing down from the lack of air in her lungs. Using her paws, she assisted Harmony in digging up the mask, the green wisp swirling around it.
About to grab the mask, something grabbed Harmony instead. One of the water nymphs had yanked at her ankle and pulled her away. In her tranced state, Harmony was a weak and easy target, unable to fight back. Trapped in the nymph's grasp, the young woman continued to flail her arms and legs to continue swimming towards her mask but she could not escape.
Kicking her paws, Lili swam upwards and slashed at the nymph's hand. The creature recoiled, releasing Harmony as its hand quivered, trickles of blood mixing in with the water. Snarling, the nymph lunged forwards but Lili easily evaded despite her energy levels almost depleted. She clawed the creature once again, propelling herself away from it... and into something else. Lili glanced back and saw that she was now surrounded by more nymphs. They all yanked at her fur and tugged at her tail. No matter how hard she tried, Lili could not break free as the nymphs swarmed around her.
Daina screeched at them but her banshee howling had become so weak that the nymphs barely flinched as she screamed directly into their faces. There was nothing she could do to help. In her banshee form she could not touch anything as it would all phase through her nor could she transform back into a human as it was a blood moon. All she could do was scream in futility as she watched her friend be swarmed by the horde of nymphs.
Lili roared in pain and terror as a nymph leaned forwards, its mouth gaping open, gnashing its rotten teeth. She closed her eyes, bracing for it.
But nothing happened.
A torrent of water brushed past her and she was free of the horde of nymphs' grasp. Lili opened her eyes and there before her was a tall yet slight figure covered in black fur. Its face was that of a jackal, thin and narrow with toxic green eyes. Fangs protruded out of the sides of its mouth, digging closely into its skin. Its shins bent backwards like a canine's, and its paws were three-fingered with long sharp talons. Hidden amongst its thick fur was a pair of feathered wings, too small to be able to fly. Its tail ended with the face of an eyeless snake that writhed and snapped its mouth.
It was a monster constructed of other monsters.
It was the chimaera.
Glancing back, Harmony gave Lili a reassuring nod, her bright green eyes still illuminated in the dark watery depths. Her snake-tail lashed out and sunk its teeth into a nearby nymph's neck. The nymph jolted back before eventually, its body drooped, its arms flopping to its side, paralyzed by the chimaera's venom. Once again, the snake-tail bit into another nymph, and another, and another until all the ones surrounding Harmony and Lili were paralyzed. No longer under threat, Harmony grabbed Lili and swum up with Daina following closely behind.
*
Corinna and Calanthe span around, seeing the banshee rise up from the water and glide over to them.
"Where are the others?" asked Calanthe.
Daina motioned over to the sea as a paddling tiger emerged as well as a large black-furred humanoid with a jackal face, three-fingered paws, and a snake-tail.
"Harmony!" Corinna jumped up and down waving her arms which the chimaera responded by also enthusiastically waving.
Once the tiger and chimaera had reached the shore, their fur both drenched and heavy from the water, Corinna ran into Harmony's arms and entered a rather soggy and cold embrace. She gazed up into those bright green eyes. "Good to have you back."
"Good to be back," said Harmony, her voice now deeper and husky in her chimaera form. She grinned as her snake-tail swayed into view. "I got my tail back."
Corinna giggled.
"Did you have any trouble out here?"
"No, none at all." Corinna lowered her head. "I wasn't much help, I guess. I didn't do anything. I could have gone down there with you."
"It's alright." Harmony caressed Corinna's cheek with her paw. "Knowing that you were here protecting me set me at ease. I wouldn't have done this if you weren't here."
Swallowing, Corinna's cheeks flushed pink.
"But we were the ones that were protecting you," grumbled Lili.
Daina the banshee shrieked in agreement.
Calanthe hushed them both. "You're ruining the moment she hissed.
Lili shook her fur, causing everyone to be sprayed with water. "Save the hugging for later. Its still a blood moon. If we stay in one place, we'll draw other prisoners to us."
"Ah, yes. Sorry." Harmony cleared her throat, breaking the embrace. "Thank you, for helping me get my mask.
"No thanks needed," said Lili. "This was a trade. Just hold up your end of the deal and we'll be square. Once the aftermath of the blood moon is over, deliver the antidote. I heard that it'll take you some time to produce enough of this 'magic salve'."
Corinna bit down on her lip in an attempt to maintain a neutral face. It seemed that the fire demon had not told their people what the chimaera's 'magic salve' actually was.
Harmony and Corinna said their farewells and thanked Lili, Calanthe, and Daina once again, before heading back to the house, their hands holding tightly onto the others.
Day: 308
Queen Corinna IX sucked in a breath then let out slowly. She gazed down at the piece of paper, on which was her speech or rather a speech which her social advisor had written for her to read. All of her other speeches, the queen would have written but this one, in particular, she was unable to.
After she was given her cue, the queen adjusted her mask then walked through the archway and stepped into the light of the outside, onto the balcony of the royal palace. She stood in front of the microphone that had been set up and cleared her throat.
The masses of subjects down at the front of the palace stared up at her, growing silent upon her appearance.
"Last year on this date," Queen Corinna began, using magic to create a fake voice so that no one would hear her real one. "King Casimir II, Our father, tragically lost his life. Today we mark the anniversary of his death and remember all of the great deeds he has done for this country." She paused, hesitant to continue. "He was a kind and gentle man."
Lies.
"Merciful, he treated his people with respect. He acted more like a loving father to everyone than a ruler."
More lies.
"His reign was the happiest and peaceful time this country has ever had. We only wish that We can do the same and live up to his reputation, to carry on his legacy."
All lies.
She would never want to be a ruler like him.
Never.
The young queen continued with listing her father's noble and heroic deeds, as well as mentioning his devotion to his wife, Henrietta, and his daughters, Alfreda and herself. Once she had reached the end of the speech, the queen folded the piece of paper away.
"And now Our sister, Princess Alfreda, will lead us in song." The queen motioned to a figure that walked through the archway.
It was a young woman of twenty-seven years, with deep mocha skin and ribbons of gold and silver weaved into her short tightly coiled hair. Covering her face was a veil, a pair of dark eyes still managed to pierce straight through it. As she walked towards the microphone, the long train of her black dress followed behind.
Even though she was wearing high inch platforms, the queen was still shorter than her sister. She regretted not requesting a box or a step to stand on.
The crowd below gasped and muttered amongst themselves upon seeing Princess Alfreda. They would have perhaps cheered and applauded if this wasn't a memorial.
Bowing her head, Princess Alfreda began to sing the country's national anthem, her voice soft and quivering ever so slightly. Soon, the crowd of subjects joined in followed by a full orchestra. After the song ended, there was a moment of silence as everyone closed their eyes, some crying, as they remembered the life of the late King Casimir II.
*
Rhea watched the memorial service on the television with tears in her eyes as she finished singing the last note of the anthem. She would have personally attended like some of her other relatives but it was her turn to take care of the little ones while other adults worked or had the day off.
A smile formed on her lips. She knew it. She knew that the rumours weren't true. Queen Corinna would never do something as horrible as killing her own sister or imprisoned her in the Eternal Abyss. Never.
Once the live broadcast ended, a programme played which documented the life of King Casimir. Rhea got out her phone and looked on social media and was relieved to see the responses. There were numerous apologies of people that had accused the queen of murdering her sister, as well as others giving their sympathies towards Queen Corinna and Princess Alfreda for dealing with their parent's deaths. It seemed that the public's view of the queen had improved but there was still a significant amount of haters. But it was progress.
Sighing, Rhea put away her phone, happily knowing that Alfreda was there for Cori, that there was someone to support her.
*
After putting on her old green cloak and spinning around in it for a good quarter of an hour, Harmony, in her chimaera form, exited the house along with Corinna and Calixte and headed towards the terraced house in which the fire demon and its people lived.
They were greeted at the door by the older woman with greying hair, the giant mole-rat mask user, and guided into the living room. The blonde-haired man offered a tray of hot drinks which the trio thankfully accepted, drinking what tasted like flavoured hot water, almost resembling tea. Soon, Lili climbed down the stairs, followed by the fire demon. An ornate wooden chair was brought out, along with a silk cushion for the fire demon to sit upon. Corinna, Harmony, and Calixte sat opposite her on one of the sofas whilst Lili, Calanthe, Daina, and the rest of the fire demon's people stood to the sides of the room.
The fire demon wafted a large paper fan, eyeing up each of its guests.
"You have the antidote?" asked the demon.
"Yes!" Harmony rummaged through her shoulder bag and retrieved three jars filled with a clear substance.
Opening a jar, the demon inspected the substance and handed it over for Lili and the others to examine.
"How exactly do you make this 'magic salve'?" asked Lili.
Harmony hesitated. "Trade secret."
Lili frowned in response but fortunately didn't question it further.
"I know that it cures my venom but I am unsure about other monsters'. At the very least you can use it to heal any major injuries quicker." She turned to the blond-haired man. "I heard about what happened to your jaw and throat. This stuff will get that fixed nicely. You'll be back to talking again in no time."
"Urg, great," Lili groaned sarcastically before smirking.
The blonde-haired man glared at her, then wrote 'thank you' on a piece of paper and showed it to Harmony, his eyes softening.
The fire demon bowed its head in respect. "I shall first test it then we shall discuss the details of this little peace treaty of ours." With that, the demon left the room, escorted by Lili.
Calanthe shuffled closer over to Corinna and pointed to her hair, her eyes almost sparkling.
"Oh!" Corinna gasped, realising what Calanthe wanted and nodded, smiling.
Squealing, Calanthe brought out a make-up bag filled with brushes, clips, and other hair accessories then began styling Corinna's hair.
While they waited, Calixte attempted small talk with Daina, who remained unresponsive, then with the blonde-haired man who wrote down his answers as he was unable to speak. Harmony sipped at her hot drink in silence, awkwardly glancing around the room and sneaking looks at Corinna as her hairstyle seemed to change every minute.
The demon finally returned, its head held higher and no longer limping. "It appeared to have worked." It spoke, no longer with a rasping gasp of pain, its voice smooth and clear. "Heal yourself," it commanded the blonde-haired man who then took one of the jars.
"So, it cured the venom?" asked Corinna.
"To a certain extent," replied the demon. "I applied it to the wound. It will likely take some time before the antidote spreads throughout all of my bloodstream but I should be quite capable to fight once again."
"Only if it comes to that." Corinna frowned. "We did this to help persuade people, to gain peace."
The fire demon laughed. "Ah, yes, peace! Of course, of course!" It waved its fan dismissively. "Do not fret, pet. We will gain peace." Its laughter fading, the demon's eyes settled upon Corinna's wrist.
Pulling down her sleeve, Corinna glanced over to Harmony and shuffled slightly closer to her.
"You... blonde one." The demon leaned forwards. "Are you the leader?"
"We don't have a leader."
The demon cocked its head back, cackling. "Oh, there is always a leader. Perhaps not officially but there is always one that the others look to for guidance, one that gives the orders-"
"I don't give orders."
"Aggressive suggestions then." The demon smiled. "Regardless of what you believe, you appear to be the one most in charge. We shall discuss the details of our little peace treaty in private."
"Why?" asked Harmony, her claws retracting slowly from her paws, her snake-tail flickering. "Why do you need to discuss it in private?"
The fire demon groaned and rested an elbow on the arm-rest. "Do you want this peace treaty or not?"
"I-"
"Then I suggest you do as I say." The fire demon returned back to Corinna. "It shan't take long, pet."
Corinna gave a quick glance over to Harmony and Calixte before looking back to the demon. "Very well." She was about to stand up when Harmony stopped her, holding onto her hand.
The chimaera sighed, then let her go and handed Corinna her dagger, which caused the demon to laugh.
Escorted by the demon, Corinna climbed up the stairs to the top floor, where the demon's private chambers resided. The wisp and candles were still illuminating the room up in prismatic light.
The demon slammed the door shut behind them, its eyes of fire flaring. "Now, pet," it growled, taking a step closer towards Corinna, towering over her. "You're going to tell me all about that magical contract you made."
Hesitating, Corinna stumbled back. "The magical contract?" her voice squeaked. "I- I can't talk about it. I've tried but for some reason, no one can hear me say it or- or even write it down."
"Interesting..."
"Sorry, I um... can't tell you." Corinna paused. "Was it necessary to know for the... peace treaty?"
Smirking, the fire demon held up Corinna's wrist then turning it over, inspecting it. "She's improved her binding magic. It was never her speciality... why would she bother studying it, I wonder?" The demon's eyes locked onto Corinna's. "She was more known for the power to alter memories... and control people's minds."
Corinna shuddered as the demon's grip tightened around her wrist.
"Now tell me, pet." The demon leaned its face closer, breathing out a thin puff of smoke from its nostrils, the heat enveloping Corinna. "Are you a spy working for my sister?"