Chapter 24: Loyalty
"So...I suppose you spat in this?"
Zyra glared at Medean across from the tiny wooden table in her room. On it he had just laid out her breakfast. It consisted of a different
strange
fruit this time. It bore a startling resemblance to a watermelon, but it came in clusters and was about the size of grapes. She watched as he set down a flask of water, carefully placing the pitcher down beside it.
"Never Miss."
She rolled her eyes. Always polite, always cordial, always with that fake smile on his face.
"Whatever, I wouldn't be able to tell. Most of this stuff tastes like spit anyway."
To her surprise, Medean laughed.
A tiny smile found its way onto her face before she realized what she was doing. She quickly frowned, unhappy that his eyes had no doubt caught her slip.
Over the few days she had come to associate with Medean she had learned two things about him. Firstly, Medean had an annoyingly high level of patience. Despite her best attempts to get under his skin, he remained unfazed. Her worst insults and her most scathing remarks bounced off of his impenetrable veneer. At first it was the perfect way to blow off steam. He didn't fight back so she won every time.
For once.
Eventually she had come to realize that she was being irrational. Medean was a witch so he could not be trusted, but that did not mean she had to abuse him. Now, all of her jabs came from the precedent she had set. To be honest, she was getting tired of it all.
"Have I forgotten anything Miss?"
Zyra looked up. He was looming.
"No. You're dismissed."
"Forgive my forwardness," he said politely, "But I would like to ensure you enjoy your meal. Would it be a great inconvenience to allow me to stay until you have finished?"
Zyra snarled. She had found that some of her less human noises frightened the lesser witches. Too much time with animals and ill-tempered huntresses gave her a wide range of animals to choose from. Once again, Medean didn't react.
"Forgive me Miss. Was that a no?"
She sighed. "Do whatever you want."
Scooping up the tiny watermelons she popped them in her mouth. Crunchy, sweet, tastes nothing like a watermelon. She could add yet another odd, magical fruit corrupting her body. Once she began eating, Medean backed off.
Oh, that reminded her, Medean's second and most irritating fault was his attentiveness. Medean saw everything. He noticed everything. He paid attention to detail. Since taking care of Zyra was his only job, all of that obsessive behavior was trained upon her.
One time,
one
time she didn't feel like eating, so she dumped her food out of the window. When he came to collect the plate, she said she ate. Since then, he didn't leave the room until she began eating. Perhaps he was afraid she would start starving herself in some kind of sick self-mutilating protest. For someone so submissive, he certainly knew how to get his way.
"Do you have the necessary equipment for today's lesson with Etaceh?"
"Probably."
"Would you like me to check?"
"Not really."
"Very well Miss. I shall bring an extra set of equipment should you find your own lacking in any manner."
"Maker's mercy! Don't you ever stop?"
"Stop what Miss?"
Zyra let out a tortured groan and gripped her hair. From the corner of her eye she swore she saw Medean smile. In response, she upturned the table. By now Medean had replaced her glass dinnerware with a wooden set.
"I'm done."
Zyra stomped out of the room, Medean behind her already picking up her mess with his magic.
To be honest Zyra had nothing against him, but she wasn't sure what to do with him. She couldn't confide in him. He had no power, no backbone, and no will. He was merely an extension of Etaceh and Caligula. Since day one that had made it apparent that they were trying to break her, each in different ways.
Caligula was hoping to do so with brute force. Etaceh...
"Zeedee darling!"
Zyra grunted when Etaceh wrapped her bony arms around her and squeezed. She coughed from the strength of the woman's grip.
Etaceh used love.
Zyra pried her arms off and stood back angrily. How was it possible that those skinny twigs could inflict so much pain?
"I asked you to stop calling me that."
"Oh but you have to have a nickname." Etaceh folded her arms in thought. "What about Ra ra? Or Z? Or Yra?"
"Zyra is fine."
"Not even Zeedee?"
"Especially not Zeedee."
Etaceh shrugged with a theatrical sigh. "Oh poo. Never say I didn't try darling.
Zyra rolled her shoulders. "Wouldn't dream of it. Now, what horrors have you cooked up today?"
Etaceh grinned. "Well let's see. You've finally gotten used to channeling your magic into a straight current and you can make a full garden of flowers in 10 seconds. Now that you can channel into a still object..." Etaceh took a seed from her pocket and blew on it.
Zyra watched as it grew tiny wings and began to buzz around in the air.
"Let's try a moving object."
"You couldn't have put it on the
ground
?"
"Who knows, if we're lucky you might learn how to fly while we're at it."
Zyra had no words. Today was going to be horrible.
"Are you ready darling?"
Zyra took a deep breath. Well, at least that wouldn't be anything unusual.
***---***---***---***---***---***---***---***
Today, today would be the day Vine infiltrated the Marble Tree. He had scouted out the terrain for three days, hoping that the human, his Gharla would be visible. It appeared however that the witches were keeping a tight rein on her. That was the only additional thing he had learned, the human was female.
Nymare had been taunting and hostile at best when he tried to go back for details. Since Talia's rescue no other nymph had been apprehended by Dull Eyes. They were constantly on edge, jumping into a tree if a rabbit so much as passed by. Vine was not their leader, they had no leader, but he knew something had to be done. Deciding that night would be too dangerous and morning too reckless, he chose to make his attempt in the afternoon.
When the sun began to descend and a golden glare hit the land he would use his translucent nature to his benefit. Vine waited patiently in the shade of a tree until he saw the sun dip half-way into the horizon. Then, Vine ran, out into the open land, out into the sight of any witch that might pass by. His heart raced as the tree grew nearer. He came closer and closer to it with each moment. Almost...there, he was at the tree.
His hand touched the cool white marble and he tried to think of what to do next. Was it foolish to enter? Or more foolish to wait outside? Before he could make his decision he felt a hand on his back.
"Well...I didn't expect my lovers to come visit me...how nice."
Whipping around he saw a witch. Her red fingernails were filed into sharp talon like points. She was a short Asian beauty with slick black hair and an attractive smile, but her eyes were dead. They looked vacant, soulless,
dull
.
Clearly, this was the one the other called, Dull Eyes.
Vine stumbled as he backed away.
"No..."
The brown robed witch chuckled and flexed her cruel hands.
"Come now. I know you want it. You all do. Your bodies were made for this. Just look at yourself."
"Please. Don't."
"And I suppose you and your kind got upset with me for playing rough? You hid from me when I wanted a lover. I haven't touched a cute blue body in days. What do you have to say for yourself?"
"Please Mistress. Don't—"
"Other words."
Vine let out a loud cry when Dull Eye wrapped a hand around his limp member and squeezed. He dropped to his knees, stars dancing in his eyes. Nymphs were so sensitive, too sensitive, that's why they fought with vines. Direct contact, direct altercation could do more than wound, it could kill. She looked at his leaf shirt and rolled her eyes.
"Modesty? In a nymph. What a rare catch you are. I want to hear you say other words to me...nice words," she cooed.
Tears welled in his eyes as she stroked his wounded penis with her thin dangerous nails. "Or would you like me to punish you?"
"Please don't hurt me," Vine panted. "You mustn't be so rough. I'll give you the pleasure you ask, but you can't..."
"I can do anything I please!" Another squeeze made the edges of his vision black. While he was disoriented, Dull Eyes shoved him to the ground. He could feel her binding him with her magic. He closed his eyes, seeking to escape her. A harsh slap jarred his senses.
"Don't you look away from me!" she screamed. "You should be grateful you get to partake of such delights!"
He could feel a wetness on his cheek. He was bleeding, her talons had cut him. Vine was numb as she tried in vain to make his flaccid penis hard. When she found she could not, she grew furious and dug her fingers roughly into his hair. Dull Eyes gave him a bruising kiss, ignoring the pain she was causing him. It became clear to him why she was so feared. Dull Eyes wasn't just a rough lover, she was trying to hurt him. She was a sadist, and none of the nymphs could ever appreciate that.
"Damn you!" she shouted. She slapped his member down. He looked up at her through teary eyes as her dull gaze scratched over him. Her smile suddenly widened.
"Oh well," she sighed. "If I can't have my fun with you this way..."
To his horror, she turned him over onto his stomach and spread his legs apart.
"There's always this way."
Vine turned his injured face back to see her pulling a double-sided phallus from her brown robes. The phallus meant for her was of a proportionate size, the phallus meant for him was too long, too thick and too wide to belong to anything short of a horse.
"No..." he whimpered, struggling under the magic.
"You'll rip me apart. Please!"
"Quiet."
