Not a Moment of Peace

Chapter XII

Not a Moment of Peace

“Eithea must hold you in high regard to trust one of her precious daughters to you.” Galakei placed the letter she had received previously by bird mail to her side.

Daughters? Enji believed she must mean it as a figure of speech. “Aren’t they slaves?” Enji was in Galakei’s bedchambers, where she had called for him a few moments before; she was still in bed recovering from the effects of the curse.

“Eithea bought Popa and Silma, not because she required slaves, but to save them from the grim life of forced servitude. She has been raising and grooming them since they were five, preparing them for marriage to suitable husbands. The same with Nilsei. She found her when she was ten, roaming the back streets of the capital, dirty and hungry. All of them are orphans, including the twins, Pol and Sol.”

According to the letter, Eithea had sent Silma to stay in Galakei’s mansion for the duration of Enji’s stay there. Pol had accompanied them to return with Sol the next morning, which would give the two a better chance of survival on their return.

So, Silma is going to keep me company. Now he wouldn’t have to worry too much about Skia, or so he hoped. That means Popa had to remain at the farm again. “I wasn’t aware that they meant so much to Lady Eithea.”

“They are, and to view you as a potential husband to Silma had truly taken me by surprise.” She patted the letter lying beside her.

“What! Husband?! W-we aren’t in that kind of relationship!” He denied waving both hands in front of him.

Galakei chuckled. “Ah, to be young again. Nevertheless, I called you to get that collar off your neck.”

“Huh... erm...” he stammered. He still felt his cheeks and ears on fire from Galakei’s teasing. “I would like to ask for a favor.”

“What is it? Perhaps, to be put in the same chamber as Silma?” Galakei gave him a mischievous smile. That, in her case, looked more like a grimace from beyond the grave.

“No! No. That’s not it! You are making fun of me, again.”

Galakei laughed in her peculiar hissing way. “At least grant this cursed woman some lighthearted laugh. What is that you desire?”

“I want another enchanted object to take the place of the collar. Something I could wear and not be conspicuous.”

“Umm... I don’t see any problem. After dinner, come here again, and I’ll have something ready.” Galakei gestured for him to approach her. “Sit by me. Let me take that thing off.”

She chanted a few words, and the collar came off. “Get yourself groomed up. You don’t want to cause an unfavorable impression on Silma at dinner.”

Enji left her room. He could still hear her chuckles from within.

***

When he arrived at his room, Silma was waiting for him sitting on the bed. She bolted from the bed as soon as her eyes fell on him, grabbing his arms and shoving her face close to his and moving her cat ears nervously. “Enji, how have you been? Did you eat well? Did you—?”

“Calm down. Everything is fine.” If he stared too much into the bottomless lake of those green eyes, he would fall into their depth and never come out. “How’s everyone at the farm?”

“Oh!” She took a step back. “Nilsei and Popa sent their regard. Mistress, too. I brought your stuff.” She flopped into the bed and pulled a book out of the backpack. “Is this the one you asked?”

“Yes. Thank you very much.” He sat next to her. Her face turned red. He couldn’t figure out if she was blushing because he thanked her or because he sat beside her. “I hope this book helps me find the answers I’m seeking.” He searched the index for the periodic table. From there, he looked for common compounds. “It is methane! CH4 is methane!”

“What is metan?” Her eyes were fixated on the book, trying to decipher what the little black scribbles meant.

“On the ‘little flame’ incantation, the food of embers and twice the liquid of the flames are one atom of carbon and four atoms of hydrogen, which combined make methane.”

Enji, excited, flipped through the book, explaining atoms, molecules, and compounds until he caught sight of the face of the girl beside him. Silma was nodding with her eyes wide open and mouth agape, as if agreeing to something without understanding. I lost her along the way. “I’ll explain in more detail later; we have plenty of time. Ah, right! We have to get ready for dinner.”

“Aargh! I need to freshen up!” She darted out of the room, almost colliding with Maka in the hallway.

“I brought hot water, my lord.” She placed the pitcher on the dresser.

“Thank you. Are your sisters joining us for dinner?”

“No. Only Skia. I’ll be in the kitchen, and Lia will be keeping the Mage company.”

That means I’ll be receiving Skia’s full glare.

***

“...and it would have escalated into a full hands-on battle if the Mistress had not intervened. Sil was about to cast her fireball on them.” Pol pointed to Silma and chuckled. “The three of them wanted to be here by your side, Master Enji. You sure are popular.”

“It wasn’t like that!” Silma, her face tinted red with embarrassment, slammed her fists on the table, refuting what Pol said.

“You should have seen how Popa fought to be the one sent here, Nilsei claimed that since she was the eldest, she had priority, and Silma here was so jealous of them.”

“I was not jealous! I calmly claimed my right as Enji’s teacher!” she shouted.

“Calmly? You were basically pleading with the Mistress on your knees.” Pol kept throwing gasoline into the fire.

Silma grabbed a round fruit and was about to hurl it at Pol when Enji spoke:

“Pol, did Eithea have any messages for me?”

Silma lowered her arm and sat back down, avoiding looking at Enji.

Having defused Silma’s anger for the moment, Enji glanced in Sol’s direction. He was utterly oblivious to the ruckus caused by Silma and Pol’s quarreling, since his undivided attention was with Elpinia, who had not stopped talking since sitting at the table. The other person who didn’t seem to give a damn about what was going on was Skia. She was focused on her food. Good! She’s not even looking at me.

“I have a letter in my room for you from the Mistress, Master Enji,” Pol replied. “After dinner, I shall deliver it.”

“Sure.”

“Enji, can we talk later?” Silma, still avoiding Enji’s eyes, asked.

“Yes. I also have something to ask you,” Enji replied.

Her face lit. She looked at him, and a faint smile graced her lips. Enji wasn’t so dense as to not realize that the Silma was interested in him, and based on what Pol had recounted, there seemed to be some rivalry between the three girls of Eithea’s farm, and the cause of it was him. A harem situation?

“Enji, you have to tell Sol about the game you were talking about. He might be able to help you make what is needed.” Elpinia had emerged from the lovey-dovey world she was in with Sol to ask for something she was also passionate about: games.

“I can make some sketches now that I have my school—” Enji was interrupted by the clanging of a bell. Everyone rose from the table.

“Monsters!” Sol exclaimed.

“Get your weapons and run to the gate!” Skia ordered. Previously, Ulua had told Enji that in an emergency, Skia would take command of defense and attack, as she was the most experienced warrior in the group, except for Mayfol, who was too old to fight.

Enji ran to his room, where he grabbed the belt with his sword. He had reacted without thinking; now, as he descended the stairs, fear began to take hold of his body. His knees trembled, and sweat covered his hands. He wasn’t ready to face another monstrosity like those tripods that attacked the farm.

As soon as he arrived at the main hall, Sol handed him a spear. “Chief, you are better with this than the sword.”

Enji just stupidly nodded. Upon arriving in this world, he had expected a quiet and easy life, but the norm seemed to be monsters always on the prowl, ready to attack. He followed Sol to the main gate, where the rest had already congregated.

“[Gleths] are attacking a carriage. The horses are dead, the escorting adventurers and passengers won’t hold out for long!” Skia, who had descended from the gate parapet, informed.

“How should we form?” Sol asked.

“You and your brother cover with your arrows. Silma, you will be the main attacker from the wall. That will leave my sisters and me to rescue the carriage’s group.”

“I’m on it!” “Understood!” Sol and Pol acknowledged and ran to the wall.

Silma clenched her staff and nodded.

“What about me?” Enji asked. He didn’t want to fight monsters, but at the same time, he didn’t want to be labeled a coward.

“You will go with me,” Skia replied.

“Can he stay up on the wall with us?” Silma pleaded.

“Can he use a bow or ranged magic?”

Silma bit her lips. Skia gave her a stern look, and Silma hurried to climb the stairs to the top of the wall, where Sol and Pol were already releasing some arrows at the monster below.

“Skia! Skia! The Mage is awake and informed.” Ulua, holding her long dress up, ran from the house, followed by Mayfol, who, after sounding the alarm bell, had rushed inside to retrieve a massive halberd, which he dragged behind him.

“I’m ready to assist you,” Mayfol, with ragged breaths, uttered in his peculiar deep tone.

Skia’s semblance softened at the sight of the old knight who could barely carry his old weapon.

“Mayfol, I need you to man the gate. I’m counting on your preparedness!”

“Yes, commander!” Mayford tried to stand as straight as he could for his age.

“Ulua, stay with the Mage. Lia, Maka get ready! Mayfol, open the gate! And you useless worm, stay by me!”

Oh crap! This is it! Enji grasped the spear with both hands and positioned himself to the left of Skia, where she had pointed. To her right, Lia stood with a pole sword similar to the naginata of Japan, and Maka, on the vanguard, had a broadsword as long as she was tall.

The gate opened, and beyond it lay the glade leading to the forest. Rua, high in the night sky, was in its waning phase, casting enough of its blue light to see as clearly as a full moon back on Earth. Helam was too low on the horizon to have any noticeable effect.

And what Enji saw made the hair in his head stand up; several of the tripod monsters were attacking the people of the carriage, who fought relentlessly with spears and magic. What was left of the horses was splattered all around the ground like an expressionist painting of Jackson Pollock, and two of the tripods were fighting each other for the leg of some unlucky traveler. Enji didn’t see the rest of the poor victim’s body, nor did he want to.

Enji wanted to run and hide under the bedcovers until this nightmare was over. He had refused to accept what was in front of his eyes and wished to escape reality.

He felt a hand grasp his arm, compelling him to move toward the carriage. He snapped out of his trance and stared in horror at the person pulling him. Skia was yelling something. Finally, he heard her.

“Are you listening?! Lia and Maka will clear the way for us. Once we arrive at the carriage, I’ll signal for Silma to begin her attack around us. Together, we will be able to escort the survivors toward the gate.”

Enji nodded. He was still in a daze when they reached the carriage. The three vampire girls joined the fray and began thinning the tripod’s horde. He heard from one of the adventurers that there were sick and injured people inside the carriage who couldn’t move. That changed the plans.

“We’ll push the cart past the wall! Clear whatever remains of the horses that are in the way; one of you should take the steering beam, and the rest fight with us in the rear!” Skia commanded the three adventurers. Then she turned to Enji. “Worm, begin pushing at my signal.”

Enji positioned himself behind the carriage, hanging his spear and sword on hooks. He figured it was better to be treated as a pack horse than to face one of those tripods. One of the adventurers joined him, a burly man of over two meters in height who fought with an axe.

“Haya, fella! ‘Hope I don’t hold you back!” He winked at Enji.

“Huh?” Does this guy think I’m as strong as those vampires? Enji was about to correct him for his error when Skia shouted something. The answer didn’t wait long; a bombardment of fireballs and arrows rained around them. The burly man began pushing with his hands. Enji imitated him, but the carriage refused to move. He turned around, leaning his back against the carriage, and pushed the ground with his legs. Finally, it began to move. Lia had stopped for a moment by their side and had given it a slight push before continuing to fight. Has she been considerate of me?

The distance to the gate was about twenty meters, and the progress was slow. Sometimes the man steering the carriage had to veer off to avoid the body of one of the dead monsters. Meanwhile, the three girls and the adventurer mage continued to hack at the monsters that charged the carriage.

“We’re almost there, fella.” The big man said between his teeth. Enji just grunted a reply. Pushing the carriage was taking its toll.

First, the mage moved right next to them, followed by Lia and Maka. Skia remained behind, walking backward toward them as she covered their retreat.

In real life, contrary to what fiction suggests, help doesn’t show on time, nor does the cavalry arrive at the last minute, and no hero is waiting to help. It is the worst of luck that comes when the situation couldn’t get any worse. And it got worse.

The moonlit, cloudless sky was suddenly covered with a thick layer of clouds. Precipitation would likely follow. The visibility had turned to zero, and the fires around them weren’t of much help in keeping track of the monsters.

The scream from Skia stopped Enji’s heart. Her sisters were about to retrace their steps to where Skia was last seen when a voice came from the darkness:

“Get the damn carriage inside and don’t mind me!”

Lia and Maka hesitated for a moment, but, used to following their sister’s orders, proceeded to push the carriage.

Enji, when he was a kid, admired the main characters of fiction, who, unselfishly, would throw themselves into peril without a thought of rescuing someone. Later, as he grew older and attended middle school, he wouldn’t entertain those romanticized notions anymore, after witnessing someone who tried to defend a bullied girl, got beaten to a pulp, only to be scorned by the same girl he tried to save. Why should I? Skia hates me! Was his thought.

He ran with his spear toward the place he had heard her voice.