The Sinners of Ard Ramalia, Part II

I am about to learn first-hand the answer when the gaze Timoria directs on me changes. Her pupils shrink, astonishment etched on her features. As if she has just seen some sort of ghost.

“Miss… Kitsune…?”

“Huuh?”

    Maybe not a ghost.

“I wasn’t expecting to see you there, my lady…”

    I don’t have a clue about what is happening, but I won’t miss my chance. Standing up, I make a few steps back.

“Are you okay?!” A familiar voice calls as a catgirl appears by my side, reaching out her hands to my arms.

“Mira?? What are you doing here?”

    After checking my current state, she raises her head to meet my gaze.

“Isn’t this obvious? I’m here to help you.”

“Help me?..”

“Of course, silly! Tell me what I can do, the illusion won’t last for long.”

    The illusion… So this is why Timoria is acting this weirdly. I cast a side glance at the latter.

    Mira’s birth name is Mirarin, and this is the name gifting her a singular benediction.

    Mirarin. Mirari.

    One allowing her to create mirages to fool others.

“Her back!” I reply, aware of the limited respite we have. “Her weak point is the bark at the base of her back! There’s a sort of dark stone there we need to destroy.”

“Understood!”

    Mira sure isn’t losing her time. Before I can add anything else, she’s already pouncing in direction of Timoria, her fingers covering with water shaping into sharp claws before freezing.

“Miss Kitsune… you’ll be proud of me…” Timoria still focuses on me, her voice taking an eerie tone. “I’ll soon offer you this whole’s kingdom’s blood.”

“You’re making a mistake, Timoria.” I reply. “This is not what I want.”

    I try to play along so I can win us some time. ‘Better not to spit on any second we can win.

    But as Timoria frowns, the softness in her eyes vanishing, I know that the illusion is now gone.

“You’re not her…” She utters, her focus shifting on Mira as she jumps high in the air, high above us.

    As Mira falls back to the ground, the emissary was ready to greet her with a swarm of cutting leaves. Mira lands right in front of her, the leaves slaying back and forth into… nothingness.

    The mirage fades away as Timoria’s head shifts forward. A foot landing at the back of it. Briefly. Before bouncing in a somersault into the emissary’s back, Mira soon cutting all the branches in her way from the tips of her ice claws.

    Her feet finally touching stone, she attempts to scratch Timoria’s back as well – now exposed – but the latter turns around, forcing her to back off in a few nimble jumps.

“You shouldn’t have done that, Timoria! This is wrong! Amako is kind, I won’t let you treat her and her friend like that.” Mira scolds.

“Such a cute girl. You have always been a kind one, Mira. I promise to be gentle with you.” Timoria extends her hand towards her. “Come, come closer. You should be the next I help to get rid of this dirty blood.”

    Mira frowns.

“You’ve lost your mind… You want the Beastmen’s blood as well? Timoria, did you even forget that our kind’s blood can’t feed our ruler?” She shakes her head. “I made the right choice telling Miss Kitsune the truth.”

***

    Once Amako left, Mira was alone with her thoughts. She couldn’t act as if she had heard nothing. Knowing that the friend she had just made somehow discovered the truth about their folk, that she was about to report everything to their ruler, it caused too much of a mess in her head to simply focus on something else.

“They won’t let her do such a thing. What if somebody finds out? What will they do to her?” She thought, getting more and more concerned.

    Itching to do something, anything, her erratic steps through the corridor guided her to the Daoine Sidhe who seemed to be close to Amako. He seemed to be searching for something. Tyffeon, she called him this way. Mira already heard this name from her lips. He was somebody important to Amako.

    Mira stared at him.

    Their gaze met, their thoughts aligned.

    The threat. The prophecy. The emissary. A sin Timoria would commit.

    It didn’t take her long to make her decision. Things couldn’t go further this way, there was too much at stake. She helped Tyffeon retrieve Amako’s bow and arrows before sneaking outside, following him then, on Amako’s steps.

    She wanted to intervene when Somnuma kidnapped her before their eyes, but the Daoine Sidhe held her back. It was part of her plan. They had to await the right moment, once they would be in a more secluded spot. Where no one would get harmed.

    So she let Tyffeon follow their tracks,.. while she decided to do what should have been done long ago.

    She ran to Kitsune’s place.

“My, my, you are out of breath my lovely girl.” Kitsune addressed her with a smile, a chuckle ready to cross her lips. “Did you find true love, perhaps?”

    But Mira shook her head.

“I’m sorry… What I have to tell you isn’t about me, and it isn’t anything funny. I’m sorry I can’t bring you something like that tonight…”

    In the end, the chuckle did not leave the ruler’s lips.

“Don’t bother with formalities, Mira. Speak freely. What weighs on such a frail mind?”

    At first, Mira didn’t dare to raise her eyes to meet hers. She wished she could keep the secret longer. Not only because she was taught to do so, but also because she dreaded their ruler’s reaction.

“I was told this started centuries ago,” Mira finally resolved to begin, searching for her words, “when, among the newborn fox girls in Ard Ramalia, you were chosen to become our next chief. At that time, even though they respected our ruler, the Beastmen were worried. The newest generations were weaker than the ancient ones.” Mira paused. “And they refused their chief to be weak as well.”

    She finally found the courage to meet Kitsune’s gaze. At least, at the very least, she had to assume her part of responsibility.

“Without letting the previous ruler know, they began to make you drink blood. At the beginning, these were droplets, until your body grew up, demanding more. To be able to feed you, the ladies of the night started to collect their customers’ blood without letting them know. They bit them once they were asleep in their arms. Along the years, they kept adding it to your food, to your drinks.” She frowns. “This is a secret we kept over generations, a secret all the Beastwomen share.”

    Kitsune didn’t say a word. But her features spoke for her alone. Her eyes, usually closed, were wide open. It was the first time Mira saw them. They were of a bright tint, the same as rubies. If only she saw them with something other than shock filling them.

    Her delicate lips were unsealed, but no words came through.

    If she managed to keep her composure, the plate she’d been holding, containing some pastries, fell to the floor. Shattering into pieces.

    The catgirl stiffened.

“Amak-” Mira corrected herself, “the Saintess wanted Timoria to tell you. She wanted to tell you because she was worried of the consequences our lies would have… she didn’t want Timoria to become the next emissary of the Taint… but Miss Somnuma stopped her from doing so. She stopped her, and now… The Saintess is in danger. Please! Please! Help her…”

    No answer came. Of course… So many years of lies… so many which had just been confessed.

    This was what had to be done, though. Amako believed so, and if she did, Mira did as well.

    Not able to wait any longer knowing her life at risk, Mira ran. As fast as she could.

    When she found them back, at the edges of Makhlubi, she caught sight of Miss Somnuma and Tyffeon, supine on the ground. And beyond, on the walkway, a monstrous sight.

    As she reached Tyffeon’s side, she found the phials next to him. He was still alive, but weakened. She saw the bite. She knew Amako’s predictions had become true.

    But before she could allow herself to join her, there was one thing she needed to do. And, reaching forward, she uncorked the phials…

***

    A hand on my shoulder makes me widen my eyes all of a sudden. Turning my head to the side, I catch sight of his face. Paler than usual, traces of blood still present over his clothes, but standing right by my side.

“Tyffeon, you’re…” I trail off.

“I’m fine.” He casually brushes off. “Let’s focus on our enemy. We can’t let her wander and cause more harm.”