[Crystal Two: Little Butterfly]

  Maya's Perspective

  Part One:

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

  BOOF!

  It was the dead of night when we saw the stranger collapse face down in the snow, just in front of the village gates.

  “Did you just see that, Maya?” Valorie my sister asked, panic creeping into her voice. We were wearing the usual Snowcrestian attire: heavy deerskin coats, snow boots, and hats. I worried for the stranger. Compared to us, he might as well have been naked.

  “I did, I did,” I replied, trudging toward the man. “We should help him, no?”

  “Could that be…?” She let her words trail off as she followed after me.

  “Collapsing in front of the village?” I raised an eyebrow, though I knew it was hardly visible in the lantern’s light. “Impossible.”

  “Then that must be a stranger,” she urged. “How could he have gotten here?”

  “Doesn’t matter now,” I shrugged. “He’s here. We saw him. We have to help him. Easy to make him forget about this place, anyway.”

  “I… guess. But—”

  “Grab his arm and help me before he freezes to death,” I interrupted. Valorie was the chief’s daughter. It wasn’t like her to get her hands dirty like this.

  Or bloody.

  But how much would it weigh on us if we just abandoned this man? What would the other villagers think if they found a frozen corpse in the morning?

  I noted the stranger’s dark skin in Valorie’s meager light, but beyond that, his features were nondescript. We both heaved him up and dragged him into the village.

  “Eliza’s gonna be so mad,” Valorie mumbled. “It’s the middle of the night.”

  “She keeps the door open all day and all night for a reason, Val,” I assured her as we trudged toward Eliza’s. Her infirmary sat in the center of the village, which would’ve been convenient in any other circumstance. No amount of strength made carrying an unwieldy, limp human body easy, and the snow piled endlessly in front of us.

  But eventually, we made it.

  “Eliza!” I called as we entered.

  She emerged from an adjacent room and gasped at the sight of us.

  “My good—” she exclaimed, then stopped herself. “Set him down on the mat over there. I’ll retrieve my medicine.”

  We obliged, laying the stranger gently on the green floor mat as Eliza retreated back into the other room. In the infirmary’s torchlight, I could finally make out the man’s features.

  The first thing I noticed was that he was Cosmaran, like me—though his skin looked more grey than brown. His face was gaunt, his hair dusty and tangled with forest debris. His clothes showed far too much skin to survive the harsh Snowcrestian climate and were smudged with dirt and grime. His pants were stained purple at the hems; I could tell they had once been white, just barely.

  And he was gravely injured.

  There was a stab wound in his stomach, and a blistered rash covered his shoulder.

  Wait—

  “It is Marcel,” Valorie realized, eyes widening. “What happened to him?”

  “What are you asking me for?” I snapped, incredulous. How could I not have recognized him?

  I had to stop myself from panicking.

  My brother left the village often and returned with scrapes and scratches. But coming home on the brink of death…?

  Eliza returned with several medicinal runes and tools clutched in her arms, along with a blanket, a bucket, and a rag. She set everything down carefully as we knelt in a circle around my brother. With a small razor, she sliced Marcel’s shirt off. Then we truly saw the damage.

  The stab wound looked on the verge of infection, and the blistered rash had spread across the entire left side of his chest.

  Eliza’s jaw tightened. She dipped the rag into the bucket and wrung it out over his wound.

  “AGH!”

  Marcel shot awake, purple eyes darting wildly. Brine. He thrashed, trying to escape, but Val and I managed to hold his arms down.

  DOOON!

  Eliza cast a blue rune on his forehead. Clear-blossom, more than likely. It relaxed him just enough for her to try and ease him.

  “Shh…” she soothed. “Remember what we practiced, Marcel.”

  He said nothing, resisting the rune’s calming effects.

  “Can’t you knock him back out?” Val asked.

  “That’s usually the last thing I do,” Eliza explained. “Otherwise, he might wake up and panic while I’m treating him.”

  Marcel continued scanning the room for threats—

  Until his eyes landed on me.

  He stilled.

  I’ll admit, that made me blush a little. It was hard not to feel bitter when he left me behind so often. But moments like these…

  “Listen to me,” he urged. “I saw something when I was out---”

  “You’re hurt,” I interrupted. “Let’s focus on that first.”

  His expression darkened, and he clamped his hand around mine.

  “No! We have to go further north, Mimi, please.”

  “Outside of Reminisce?” Val asked. “Why?”

  “None of your concern!” he snapped. His usual aloofness was gone, replaced with desperation.

  I touched his face gently. “You know I can’t leave, right? None of us are permitted to.”

  “That’s not true…!”

  DOOON!

  Eliza cast Clear-blossom again.

  “Whatever plans you have will have to wait,” she cooed. “You can’t keep moving in this condition.”

  “Don’t patronize me! Mimi---”

  DOOON!

  This time, she put him to sleep. He fought against the runemagic valiantly, but his words slurred until Hypnos’s caress took hold.

  “I thought you said you’d wait before putting him to sleep,” Val huffed.

  “He wouldn’t let me treat him otherwise,” Eliza replied. “With the runes I used, he won’t wake for some time.”

  “Well—”

  “Anyway,” Eliza interrupted, “it’s best that you two leave.”

  “I’m staying with my brother,” I said, narrowing my eyes.

  “Your presence agitates him,” she replied calmly.

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  “You just watched him calm down when he saw me!”

  “Because he thought you’d go along with him,” she said flatly. “When you didn’t, he became upset. And surrounding him like this only heightens his nerves.”

  “She has a point,” Val said, touching my arm as she stood. “Besides, you’ll fall asleep anyway. We’ll visit him tomorrow, okay?”

  I looked at Marcel one last time. Even in sleep, he was restless.

  But there was nothing more I could do.

  “Fine.”

  ***

  “You’re not actually going to go with him,” Val arched an eyebrow the next morning. “Are you?”

  “Of course not,” I scoffed.

  We were back at home now, and Valorie had come into my room to wake me. She was unkempt from sleep, but still the prettiest girl in the village. I was jealous.

  “Then get up!” She yanked my arm. “You got Marcel-blood all over your covers! We need to bathe, expeditiously!”

  Val was well-read, and it usually showed when she was agitated. There had been a massive grain spill the previous day, and of course it was primarily the Chief and his family who were cleaning it up. That was why we’d been outside to see Marcel collapse in the middle of the night. It was also why we’d been too exhausted to think of anything but sleep afterward.

  “Relax,” I groaned, pulling the covers off.

  In the sunlight, it almost looked like I had been stabbed. I honestly worried I’d have to throw the whole bed away.

  “‘Look at your face,’” Val teased. “That’s what you’d be saying right now.”

  “Whatever,” I rolled my eyes as I got out of bed. “I’m going to have to wash these until my knuckles turn pale like yours.”

  “That’s the whole point,” she rolled her eyes. “We need to get you in the springs now!”

  “Alright, alright.”

  I opened my drawer and collected my runeiron hammer and my Frost rune. Then I moved around my room, gathering my fragrant olive oil, washcloth, towel, and a change of clothes.

  “Okay, I’m ready,” I announced, placing everything into a wicker basket.

  “You always bring all this extra stuff to the springs,” she rolled her eyes. “I only need two things: my towel and my scraper.”

  “Lemme see your arm,” I raised an eyebrow.

  She held them far away from me.

  “…Why?” she asked, suspicious.

  “C’mon, I’m not gonna hurt you you know that.”

  “Mmmm… fine.”

  She extended her arm, and I gently dragged my nail across her skin. Flakes erupted like a geyser.

  “And just like that,” I laughed, “it’s snowing inside!”

  “Hey…!” she protested.

  I’d been doing that for at least ten years, but she still fell for it every time.

  “Anyway, let’s get going,” I said, heading for the door—

  and nearly running into Valorie’s father, Chief Thorin.

  He’d apparently been chief for decades, elected by the council for his “leadership” or whatever.

  I didn’t see it.

  “Good morning, Maya,” he smiled.

  I was grateful to him he’d allowed Marcel and me to lodge in his house when we had nowhere else to go.

  “Hi,” I greeted dryly.

  Even though he’d effectively saved my life, I always felt like he liked my brother more, while I had to break my back justifying my existence.

  “You’re heading to the springs?” he asked.

  It had been twelve years, and he still barely managed small talk with me. That’s how I knew he didn’t really give a damn.

  He didn’t even notice the blood on my shirt.

  BOOF!

  “Ugh!” he grunted as Valorie shoved past me to tackle him.

  I was honestly relieved. Talking to him made me feel like Sisyphos, and Valorie had just freed me. Still, seeing them banter so easily when I could barely even see my own brother made my chest ache.

  DOOON!

  I retreated into my room, dug my Clear-blossom rune from my drawer, and used it on myself.

  “Well,” I cleared my throat, “I’m going to the springs. Val, are you coming with?”

  “Oh, of course,” she said, kissing her father’s cheek. “Later!”

  ***

  “Hopefully we don’t run into Mar—AH!”

  The moment I stepped outside, a massive, bear-sized creature lunged from a nearby snowdrift and tackled me, pinning me to the ground. Its breath reeked of raw meat. As it opened its maw, revealing its hooked, bladed fangs, I realized I’d be reduced to ribbons.

  I whispered my final prayers and shut my eyes, bracing myself as saliva dripped onto my face and—

  “Will you relax?” Valorie rolled her eyes. “It’s just Cupcake.”

  I opened my eyes.

  Sure enough, it was my pet Cupcake.

  She resembled an oversized sheepdog, truly the size of a grizzly bear—and probably stronger than one, too. We’d crafted a saddle for her and often used her strength for pulling plows, uprooting stubborn tree stumps, and similar tasks.

  And her coat was so dense it could generate powerful electric shocks. Had I been in real danger, I’d have been dead before hitting the ground.

  I sighed in relief.

  “Up, Cupcake,” I commanded.

  She ignored me, intent on licking the blood off my arms.

  “Cupcake?”

  Woof!

  She finally let me up.

  “Gross…” I muttered, wiping her slobber off myself.

  Even though she was a menacing apex predator, she was far too cute to stay angry with. I hugged her before she lumbered off to do… whatever it is she does. I’d probably find her chewing on a rabbit later.

  The village was built concentrically, with the terraces on the outskirts, buildings toward the center, and cobblestone streets weaving everything together. From high enough above, it must’ve looked like a web fit for Arakhne herself.

  The hot springs were on the terraces, meaning an annoyingly long walk every time we bathed.

  If we could even get that far.

  “My, you two are inseparable,” Mrs. Linda remarked from behind us, interrupting our stride.

  “Good morning,” I said, turning.

  I wasn’t as close with her as Val was. To me, she was just a nice woman who lived along the path to the springs.

  “I know that spill yesterday must’ve been a pain,” she said sympathetically.

  “It definitely was,” Val replied. “Still can’t get the smell out of my nose.”

  “Is that right?” Mrs. Linda laughed. “And Maya how is your brother?”

  There it was.

  It was an innocent question on the surface, especially since my brother was actually unwell. But Mrs. Linda didn’t know that! Marcel was the only person in the village who could come and go as he pleased, so everyone treated him like a celebrity.

  Meanwhile, I was just… Maya.

  The next best thing.

  She probably assumed Marcel was still off on his “adventure,” so how was I supposed to know how he was if he was supposedly gods-know-where?

  “I don’t know,” I lied. “He hasn’t come back yet.”

  “Oh…” she murmured. Sympathetic, but barely masking disappointment.

  “Yeah,” I sighed. “Anyway, we’re heading to the springs. We’ll see you around!”

  I grabbed Val’s arm and pulled her away.

  “Why lie?” she asked once we were out of earshot.

  “Damage control,” I said. “Eliza barely wants us in the infirmary. How do you think she’d react if the whole village tried breaking down the door?”

  It was a convenient lie because it was true—but I hoped Val couldn’t see how tightly I was gripping my basket.

  “That makes sense, I guess,” she shrugged. “But you know how we feel about lyin—”

  “I’ll pray for forgiveness later,” I dismissed.

  ***

  DOOON!

  I cast my Frost rune on the spring’s water, cooling it to a favorable temperature.

  “That’s always been weird to me, you know,” Val remarked.

  “Using runemagic on the hot spring?” I asked.

  “Well, yeah,” she said. “It’s a ‘hot’ spring, why make it cold? Everyone I know does that.”

  “When was the last time you bathed by yourself?”

  “Uh…” she scratched her head, blushing. “I actually don’t remember.”

  “That explains everything,” I laughed, filling a nearby bucket with water. Any dirt that entered the spring stayed there forever, so it was customary to clean oneself before entering.

  “So you’re not going to explain?” she crossed her arms.

  “You’re seventeen, you’re a big girl. You can figure it out,” I rolled my eyes, scrubbing the blood from my hands and arms with my washcloth. The runoff drained into an irrigation duct that ran down the mountain.

  “I’m drawing a blank,” she admitted.

  “I’ll tell you what. Next time we bathe, just dive straight in. I’ll bring some carrots and potatoes.”

  “Whatever that’s supposed to mean,” she scoffed.

  “A little salt, some beef stock…”

  “Are you calling me a cow!?”

  “Some tallow…”

  “You’re not making soup, Maya!” she exclaimed. Then, changing the subject: “Anyway, don’t you think Marcel was acting weird?”

  “He always acts weird,” I replied bluntly, dumping the rest of my bucket on my head and handing it to Val.

  “Okay, but he wanted you to leave Reminisce,” she urged, scrubbing her skin with that awful scraper. “That’s weird even by his standards.”

  “Well, we’re visiting him soon, no?” I reasoned, just as she finished generating her ‘inside-snow.’ “Let’s just ask him then.”

  We briefly stopped at home to drop off our belongings before walking back to Eliza’s infirmary. Most villagers were awake, moving to the outskirts where farmland and livestock lay. Valorie usually joined them, and I usually joined her—not because anyone expected it, but because the alternative was being a freeloader. Today, though, we took the day off.

  We entered the infirmary cautiously, just in case Marcel was still asleep.

  “Mimi?” he called before I even reached him. So much for that.

  “How bodi?” I asked, kneeling next to him. His abdomen was tightly wrapped in bandages, and he sat against the wall, brooding as usual.

  “I dey here, O,” he responded.

  “I wanted to ask you,” I began, kneeling closer, “what made you so panicked last night?”

  He said nothing, only pulling my head in to hug me. He always smelled metallic, and this time was no different.

  “Listen,” he said after a few moments. “I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. I saw something I shouldn’t have. I know this place and these people mean everything to you, Mimi—”

  “Stop being so vague. What did you see?”

  “A Dream-Eater.”

  An anxious spike shot through my entire body. Marcel always ensured I kept my culture and heritage close, even if I didn’t remember where it came from.

  He also made sure I knew these were the creatures who had taken our people away.

  “…In Reminisce?”

  “Yes,” he nodded grimly. “Far in the south, but still within the borders. That’s why we need to leave.”

  I shook my head.

  “If they’re in Reminisce, then that’s more reason to stay. We can’t abandon everybody!”

  “Snowcrest will figure out how to defend themselves,” he dismissed.

  “No we won’t! We can’t even fight humans, and you want us to defend ourselves against monsters!?”

  “Snowcrest has a geographic advantage and psychological runemagic. That’s why you keep this village secret, no?”

  “That means absolutely nothing to me. And it would mean even less to the average villager. If you’re such a ‘tactician,’ then why not just stay and hold the fort?”

  “Because I killed the Dream-Eater,” he gritted his teeth.

  “…What?” Snowcrest valued pacifism over everything, but Marcel was never here to be bound by that standard. I knew he went to Reminisce with his swords and probably picked more than his fair share of fights. Normally, I wouldn’t approve…

  But this time, I’d make an exception.

  “It spoke to me. It taunted me. It tormented me. I don’t want that for you, so we must flee.”

  “I don’t want to run—”

  “We don’t have a choice! We’ve never had a choice!”

  “Hey!” Eliza shouted from the other room. “What did I say about agitating him!?”

  “Sorry!” I called back.

  “Anyway,” he exhaled sharply, “I lost my swords when I was out, Mimi. Could you please talk to Hugo for replacements?”

  “Who are you fighting?” I asked, suspicion rising. “You don’t need swords you need to rela—”

  “Mimi,” he interrupted, his voice dangerously low, “Dream-Eaters aren’t the only danger. Get the swords. Please.”

  I flinched but nodded. I wanted to hug him again, but Eliza stepped out of the adjacent room, a cross look on her face.

  “I have to ask you to leave, Maya,” she said sternly. “You’re pissing everybody off.”

  “I—” I started, but bit my tongue. “Sorry.”

  I stood and stepped out of the infirmary, trying to hide my embarrassment.

  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------