• “Now, hold up a minute, how do I know you will bring me my money?”

    She froze, her stomach rolled and she tried her hardest to keep her eyes from widening. Her mind ran through itself over and over again, searching for the answer but there wasn’t one. She gave a casual laugh and spoke quietly the words, “You don’t.”

    He gave a deep, thunderous laugh, “I like your kind,” he said simply, “Now, if I need to contact you, where ya stayin’?”

    She knew of only one inn, the one where Kamarantu had told her Anethum was staying. Until, of course, she remembered the tavern of the screaming wench, “In a room above the Piping Jack,” She lied and smiled a grisly, sharp-toothed smile before leaving.


    The Southern side of town was even lowlier than the East. The buildings crumbled and people conversed in allies. But because of its poor inhabitants it was the smallest part of town and the easiest to maneuver around. The people became shadowy and here they stared for less time, seeming to care less that she was there.

    The Blue Moon Inn was surprisingly clean and trim. ‘Twas a three story building that held a clean bar in the first level. She went in and thankfully wasn’t paid much attention to. She sat down at the bar and leaned over the counter.

    To the bartender she spoke, “Anethum is staying here?”

    He turned and gasped, obviously a little shaken by her appearance, “The one like you? He’s here.”

    “I require an audience with him,” she said.

    “He’s in the third room down, on your right. Just go up the stairs,” he told her and hurried into a back room, letting another hand come out to manage the bar. She leaned back and stepped from the stool. Up the stairs was a dim hallway and when she curved a look at the slightly more luxurious third level, she was sure she was in the right place. Anethum had probably scared the owners of the Inn to let him stay, he couldn’t afford to stay in any place, even the poor, low-class rooms of the Blue Moon.

    She walked down the hall way three doors and turned to her right. Menispermum stared at the door and took in a long breath. Without knowledge of what she would do once she got to Anethum, the faerie’s thin, insectile wings twitched. Dead or alive, she would bring back Anethum. But she had no strength to bring him back and only her hands to kill him with. Some of the last words she’d said to Kamarantu, a sarcastic, joking phrase, had made him pleased. Her hands would do her, Menispermum decided, she was strong enough and older and bigger than the seventeen-year-old. Anethum’s brain would survive a few days back.

    The knob turned to the right with ease and then it stopped, locked. Her hand reached up and knocked on the door quietly. Steps could be heard within the room. They were slow to respond but definite. The lock clicked and the door opened a crack. Menispermum shied away from the open space and watched it open a slight bit more. A black nose peeped out from the space and two yellow eyes looked from their corners at Menispermum.

    Anethum gasped, pulling back with a yell. She dropped her sacked and rammed the door and in his state of shock he fell to the floor and she came into the room. Closing and locking the door behind her she stepped towards Anethum. His light eyes were wide with panic and he was gasping for breath, his bald head had a thin layer of cold sweat upon it.

    Over him, she stood. Looking down upon the simple boy, her lips pulled over her long, sharp teeth in a grin. He crab-walked backwards, mindlessly pushing himself into a corner. Then he stood, uncomfortably and nervously looked into Menispermum’s eyes.

    “Surely you could under-,” Anethum began but Menispermum interrupted, “No.”

    “Can’t you please show mer-,” He tried again.

    “No.” She repeated. One hand reached up to the wall above his shoulder and he pressed himself against the wall. Her head leaned in closely, “I can’t,” she told him and wrapped her fingers around his throat.

    Mechanically, he gasped but her grip was strong and she wasn’t going to take things lightly. He killed her only child, her only relative, the only person that could make her truly happy. Anethum’s arms rose to her own and as though he was afraid he lightly grasped her wrist and pulled it away from his neck. It didn’t work and as he was moving slowly he was running out of air. He gasped again and yanked her arm away successfully then he pushed her, heaving in long gasps.

    She stumbled back and lunged forward once she caught herself. He held his arms around his face and swatted her pathetic attempts to hurt away. One arm lunged out and struck his bare chest, right in the heart she hit him with all her strength. He shrieked and curled down. Grasping on shoulder she pulled and threw him to the other side of the room.

    He ran at her and jumped for her own neck. An adrenaline rush hit her and she pushed him to the side. Again. Both times he hit the floor and pushed himself up again. In a final attempt he pushed her leg out with his foot, her bare foot slid along the floor but she jumped back and balanced herself. He stood still across from her, out of ideas for she was too quick for him and stronger than he. His neck bent and he faced the floor, panting.

    Menispermum stepped out slowly and gathering all her energy she clouted him. He fell towards the floor too quickly for her to register, to stop it. Only a few feet to the side were a small, raised bed and a trunk at its end. Anethum’s head fell square against the edge of the trunk and cracked open.


    To read chapter five: http://avatarsave.gaiaonline.com/arena/writing/fiction/vote/?entry_id=100733959
    To read chapter seven: http://www.gaiaonline.com/arena/writing/fiction/vote/?entry_id=100777783
    To read the entire story: http://www.gaiaonline.com/arena/writing/fiction/vote/?entry_id=100679491