Submitted by girl_from_the_crypt t3_10ebyr1 in nosleep
Trudging through the snow once again, I hugged my upper body, more aware of the sting of the cold now that we had just emerged from this pit of heat, fire and despair. Jacek followed right behind me, his dog trailing along demurely.
“I’m sorry,” Jacek called out to me for about the third time in the last ten minutes.
I didn’t respond, but I did slow down, allowing him to catch up with me.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated, and I dropped my arms.
“I’m not mad,” I said softly.
“Really?”
“Not at you, specifically,” I specified. “Kind of at everyone.”
“Everyone.”
“Absolutely everyone, ever,” I muttered.
“I thought you’d be angry at me for not telling you.”
“I’m glad you didn’t tell me. Yeah, part of me kinda wishes you did but I get it, and now I wish I’d listened to you back there. Think I’d be happier not knowing.”
“I understand.”
We continued to walk on in silence.
“Okay, back to normal,” I said, dropping my arms.
“Just like that?”
“Hey, I can’t keep riding this out, can I?” I put on what I hoped to be a cheerful smile. “I hardly knew Jeremy anyways. Could’ve been anyone.”
“Sure,” Jacek mumbled. “But this isn’t, like, something where you doubt yourself based on the actions of your family members, right?”
“Maybe there’s… just a little bit of that.”
“Well, there shouldn’t be. You’re not a saint, but you’re still pretty amazing.”
“Amazing?” I echoed, raising a brow at him.
“I mean, well… you know,” he stammered, coloring. “I just think you’re pretty great. See, I thought when you and I would meet again, it’d be awful. I figured we’d be at each other’s throats in an instant, and that you’d resent me for cursing you and that I’d feel all the disappointment and the rage again, but you don’t seem to and I didn’t, so… yeah. I just think that’s nice.”
“If you thought it’d be so horrible, then why’d you come?”
“You asked me to,” he said quietly. “That’s to say, you asked me for help, so it was just the decent thing to do.”
I came to a halt in front of the porch, turning to face him. “And if I hadn’t asked for help?”
“Hm?”
“If I hadn’t asked for your help and simply wanted to see you, would you have come then?”
Jacek stared at me, inky black eyes deep and unreadable. He swallowed audibly, then opened his mouth to speak. Before he could say anything, the door swung open. Cas was upon me in the blink of an eye, pulling me into a hug. “Thank God you’re finally back! I was starting to get worried.”
“We’re alright,” I assured him. “The Devil was… rather cooperative.”
“Was he creepy?”
I shuddered. “You don’t even wanna know. Just be glad you didn’t come along.”
“I am. I made some excellent progress over here,” my little brother explained proudly. A mischievous glint in his eyes, he reached into the pocket of his sweater and pulled out a black woolen hat.
“Is that Tom’s? How’d you get it?” I inquired, voice shrill with amazement.
“Simplicity itself, my dear Watson.” Cas grinned and fingered the hat fondly. “I figured I should work towards you to some extent. I got this little bug in my brain that Hayes wasn’t really the popular type so I went over to him for a chat. Let me tell you, that man is starved for attention. He didn’t even mind that I’m, like, literally your brother. He didn’t mention the blackmail and his online endeavors, of course, but it turns out he’s a total weeb and he went on about anime for hours. And I do mean hours. I kept waiting for him to lose something and eventually, I just asked if I could borrow his hat ‘cause my ears were getting cold. I just kept it on and kept him rambling, and then when that was finally over, I just walked off with his hat still on. He didn’t even notice.”
“That was so smart,” I praised him, knowing exactly what he wanted to hear.
“Thank you, thank you… I’m glad you know it. It was, after all, a hell of its own.” He tossed Jacek the hat, who caught it in mid-air and proceeded to hold it out for Licorice to sniff.
"I'm gonna need some time with the pooch, now," he announced. "Could take a while to make him understand what I want him to do. But I'm optimistic."
"Need any help?" I offered.
"No, you two go on and catch up. It's fine."
Casimir and I retired into the kitchen to have a chat. It was already late in the afternoon and darkness had settled comfortably over the treetops. Cas was very eager to hear about hell, asking me a bunch of questions and trying to get as many details as possible. I told him what the Devil had said about him, and once he'd let that sink in, I shared what I'd learned about Jem. Cas was shocked, but he took it a little better than I had. Jacek returned late in the evening. He would undoubtedly spend the night, so I prepared one of the guest rooms for him. He was leaning in the doorframe, watching me as I changed the sheets after rejecting his help several times.
"You've already saved my skin, it's the least I can do," I insisted.
"I hope the Leshy's off your case now."
"He should be. A deal's a deal."
"Good. So what'll you do about Hayes?" Jacek asked. "He's obviously a threat. I mean, he somehow acquired your soul, right? And he had to have known that it was yours, that you were lacking it… how? How did he find out?"
I drew myself up, swallowing. He was right. I hadn't actually thought of that yet, not at length at least. "What do you recommend?"
Jacek's face lit up. "Well, where I come from—and you've seen where I come from—we have a ton of specialists who'd be perfectly capable of getting the answers you need."
"So you'd opt for torture?"
"Definitely."
"Okay, let's assume that I… don't."
Jacek snorted, spewing a tiny flame as he let out a soft laugh. "Alright. I'll try to come up with something else. But just so you know, I've got the necessary connections."
I stared at him for a moment, eyes wide and lips curved. The man with fire in his throat. "I'm very glad you came, Jacek."
"So am I." His voice had gone several notches lower. "But, as for what you said before… no. I think I—I wouldn't have come if it had just been to see you. That's not… that's over. I'm sorry."
I bit my lip hard, lowering my head and nodding. "I understand. I guess I… misread things," I said softly, giving him a strained smile as I walked out.
I didn’t go to bed. My mind was awhirl with pent-up warmth and unwelcome emotions, and thus, I stepped out onto the porch. Darkness had settled over the treetops, bringing with it a soothing quiet. I stood and listened to the silence. Eventually, I picked up on laughter, talking and, weirdly enough, coughing coming from the direction of the sauna. Apparently, the Bannik was hosting one of his social gatherings. That was honestly just perfect, even though it sure didn’t feel that way. I reluctantly stepped off the porch and began stomping my way through the snow across the yard. Once at the sauna, I took a deep breath, steadying myself and reaching out to knock at the door. With each time my knuckles collided with the surface, my anxiety mounted.
The door was opened and the Bannik stood before me, looking up in confusion.
“Good evening. I’m sorry to disturb, but I was hoping I could join you and your friends for the night.”
The Bannik’s eyes widened in astonishment. He was silent for a moment, then said in that eerie voice of his, “Shed your clothes and come in.”
I followed him inside, swallowing the lump in my throat as I entered the half-light of the changing room. There were a couple tunics lying on the benches, and, just as I’d expected, a cudgel and a caftan. They’d been tossed aside with surprisingly little care. In the other room, the conversation was getting more animated, and there was also that coughing again. It didn’t sound right.
I slowly started taking off my dress, trying to keep my thoughts in order. The Bannik didn’t stop me from discarding my underwear as well, so I figured that was simply the way. I didn’t really have a problem with it. Bracing myself, I stepped into the sweltering heat. Immediately, there were several pairs of eyes on me. Most of the Bannik’s guests were unfamiliar to me, but their humanoid features and uncanny smiles and giggles caused me to assume they were part of the clan of faeries that roams the woods. No, not the Hidden People, different faeries. There’s all kinds of them.
One face was distinctly familiar to me, though.
“Heiress.” The Leshy’s voice came from over in the corner. He sat cross-legged, hands on his knees, broad shoulders relaxed. He grinned, then patted the spot on the bench beside him. “Sit with me.” He sounded weirdly restrained and polite.
I slowly walked up to him and placed my clenching ass next to his. There was a brief touch of skin that made me flinch. He shifted his weight slightly. “Well, you needn’t sit quite so close,” he added in an amused tone.
“I meant no disrespect,” I sputtered.
“That wasn’t my impression, either.” He looked at me in a calculating way and I quickly scooted to bring a bit more distance between us, which was difficult considering I didn’t want to get too close to the lady sitting at my other side, either. She let out a most unbecoming snort, breaking into a laugh that sounded like waves breaking on a rocky shore. Needless to say, it creeped me the fuck out. “And who is she, now?” the woman asked into the round, pointing at me.
“A friend of mine.” The Bannik’s voice echoed off the walls. “She has been invited. She’s got every right to be here.”
The lady threw her hands up. “I’m not complaining! I was just a bit surprised, is all.” She leaned towards me, damp red hair falling over her shoulder. She smelled of rosemary and honey, and maybe some other herbs I didn't recognize. I tried not to be so obvious about sucking it in, but she noticed anyway. “What’s your name, beautiful?” she asked, pale red lips stretching into a grin.
“She’s the heiress,” the Leshy answered in my stead. “If you try to steal her name, I’ll rip you apart.”
“Ooh. Calm down, I wasn’t trying to mess with your maid.”
“She’s no more my maid than you are my grandmother. Stop running your mouth if you know what’s good for you.”
I chuckled a bit at his response. I had no idea why he was defending me, but for what it was worth, I appreciated it. The Leshy turned to face me with something akin to kindness in his gaze. “Something’s changed,” he remarked. “I noticed it earlier.”
“I solved our outsider-problem. Came here to tell you.”
“I see.”
“I did what you asked.”
“I know. You’re free of your obligations towards me.” He drew in a deep breath. How he was able to bear the heat without batting an eye was beyond me. I hadn’t taken a steam in ages, but I didn’t remember it being this hot.
“I’m not,” I contradicted, shifting in my seat. “Something’s wrong with you, isn’t there?”
He opened his mouth to answer, but broke into a coughing fit instead. It was whooping and audibly painful, it sounded bad. His face contorted in an expression of intense discomfort. I couldn't help but notice how vulnerable he looked. Just like I’d suspected. The other spirits seemingly didn’t care about it in the least, causing me to assume that it had been going on for a while. The fit worsened, the bearded man doubling over. I instinctively moved to steady him, pressing my palm to his bare chest. After a couple more minutes, he calmed down and, not ungently, brushed my arm aside.
“How long have you been sick for?” I asked. “Is it because of the Bies?”
“Not here,” he wheezed.
“You’re gonna have to tell me sometime.”
“What if I don’t want to? It’ll pass, I don’t need your help.”
“It won’t and you do.” I leaned closer, hesitantly, to talk into his ear. “I’d be facing an ass-load of trouble if something were to happen to you; I’m not doing this out of charity. And I don’t pity you, nor do I think you’re old or weak or pathetic, so come off it.”
The Leshy stayed silent for a moment, holding my gaze before rising to his feet. “Let’s step outside for a moment.”
That’s when the red-haired woman spoke up again. “Where do you think you two are going?"
“We need to talk. Privately," I said steadily.
She didn't seem to like that. Something in her eyes flared, and she bared her teeth as she spoke. "That's against the rules."
“What rules?” I inquired.
"What rules?" she repeated. "It's rude, you're being incredibly rude—first you join our round, breaking right into our gathering, and now you're leaving prematurely?"
I rubbed my temples. I knew I shouldn't argue, I knew it was pointless and likely dangerous, but I was simply pissed and now this chick was on my case. "Look, I don't really care. No offense but I don't give a shit about you folks' manners and stuff, not tonight."
She rose from her seat, glaring daggers. "Beg pardon, mistress, did I hear that right? You don't get to talk to me like that. Heiress or not."
"Get over yourself," I hissed. "You're twice as vain as you ought to be, considering whose land you're on."
"Oh, hear, hear!" The redhead whipped around to face the Leshy. "And you? Do you appreciate her tone?" She snorted. "You're just going to let her lay claim to what's yours?"
The Leshy smiled thinly. "Don't try to pit me against her."
"You really are getting old. You're already frail enough to submit yourself to a mortal wench," the woman spat.
"I'm not submitting myself to anyone!"
"Will you shut your mouth?" I snapped at her, taking a bold step forward despite myself. "Stop dragging him into this!"
"Heiress, don't—" the Leshy began, but before he could say anything, the redhead lunged at me. I let out a scream of shock as she knocked me to the ground, but was quick enough to dig my nails into her wrist and bring her down with me. Now face to face with her, my pulse began to race and fear pooled in the pit of my stomach. What the fuck was I doing? I rolled over, knocking her off of me. The back of her head collided with the floor and I staggered to my feet as she groaned and hissed in pain.
She sneered at me as her companions rose to her feet, allowing me to fully take in their, on second glance, disturbingly twisted bodies. One had legs that bent in two places each, like a double knee, another had wrists as wide as his hands and feet that were turned inside out with the heel in the front and the toes facing his backside. Another still pulled her unruly bangs aside to reveal a third eye.
Dread had crept into my chest and taken hold of me, and I couldn’t contain it any longer when these unnatural humanoids grabbed me by my wrists and ankles and began dragging me down again. The Bannik yelled at them, shooing them off, but it only lasted for a moment. I was still trying to push myself up into a sitting position when one of the faerie men knelt down beside me, grabbing my arm and sinking three rows of teeth into it. They were misshapen and pointy, like broken glass, and when he dragged them across my skin, lacing it with saliva, they tore through it like paper. I struggled, trying to get away from him, but my muscles wouldn’t cooperate. Caught in a panicked rigor, it was as if my bones had turned into jelly. I let out a cry of fear and pain.
Suddenly, the faerie was forcefully pulled back, and I found the Leshy standing over me, screaming down the others. I tilted my head at him as he bent down, and for some reason felt compelled to reach out and bury my fingers in his hair. He leaned in, frowning in confusion.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah," I panted, allowing him to help me up. "I shouldn't have said anything. I'm sorry, I didn't wanna cause a fight, I—"
"I thought it was perfectly reasonable," he replied, watching the trickle of blood on my arm with narrowed eyes.
"Still…" I sighed, raising my hands. "Everyone, let's… let's calm down. I mean no harm. I didn't want to disrupt the peace here tonight, but just… just give me a break. I'm having a shit time at the moment."
The lady with the red hair stared at me, chest heaving. I held her gaze with tight lips. To my surprise, she suddenly stepped forward and pulled me into her arms, stroking my bare back. I pressed my face against her neck, sucking in her scent. Something changed. The others slowly closed in on us. I felt fingers gently rubbing my shoulders, then a tongue grazing my lower arm, licking clean the wound. The odd congregation turned into a heap of flesh, suddenly warm and inviting. I closed my eyes, allowing myself to get lost in it.
I woke up sprawled out on my porch, once again wearing my wedding dress. It had been sloppily pulled over my shoulders and not entirely closed up. Several tunics had been draped over my upper body, their owners nowhere to be seen. I glanced around, realizing that the Leshy was sitting next to me. He was awake already, lazily blinking into the cold winter sun. Upon noticing I had joined the land of the living once more, he staggered to his feet, gripping the bannister for support. He wiped his sweaty brow and broke into another coughing fit. He looked a frightful lot smaller than in the little dark room before.
“Come see me on the red meadow tomorrow morning. Try getting some rest in the meantime.”
“Don’t even… Do I… do I still have all my hands and feet? Did anyone bite something off?”
“No. Well, you nearly did but I won’t go into that.” He tilted his head, clearly thinking of something amusing as a smile tugged on the corner of his mouth.
“My lifeless eyes are up here,” I said, pointing at my face.
“Sure. You were… something to behold last night.”
I raked a hand through my hair. "That was… well, I'm not gonna lie and say it wasn't fun, but don't expect it to happen again. And I don't want this to spread; please just forget all about it. Not a word to anyone, you got me?"
“Especially not the black miller, I assume?” He let out a resounding laugh.
I sighed. "It won't make any difference to him," I said under my breath. "But I have a reputation to uphold."
He regarded me, mirth gleaming in his eyes. "I won't bandy your name. See you tomorrow."