Spellbinder Notes (Day 16)

Species (according to Ursa):

16) Imps

- Tricksters

o Look young in order to steal and play tricks on non-imps

o People trust children

- Look like children even when hundreds of years old

o Small

o Round, innocent faces

o Anime large eyes in large variety of colors

o Large, pointed ears that sideways from head

o Baby pink skin color

o Small horns grow where widow's peak would be

- Live in clans all over Taikaa, but largest and oldest clan is in Portae

o Portae clan has duty of protecting the portals that pass from Taikaa to human world (Maa-Vallan)

- Matriarchal cultural

- Prefer having fun, playing tricks, and being silly

o Do have a violent, cruel side when provoked

o Imps do not forget or forgive

§ ? – sounds very childlike and dangerous

Night was an odd time in Portae. There was no sun, so it could not really get dark, but the glow from the trees and fog did dim so that there was less light and visibility. Chenoa wandered for about four hours before she could not really see anymore. She hoped that she was heading in the right direction. Yawning from exhaustion, Chenoa lay down on the ground, not caring that it was hard and uncomfortable. She was at her mental and physical limit for the day.

Curling up, Chenoa left out a deep breath. Sleep overcame her before she had even taken her next breath. She was running in her dream. Her body was small and limber. A child's body. She ran, giggling, with someone chasing her.

"Wait up!" a small voice called between huffs. "No fair! You are faster me than me!"

"Come on, slow poke! You have to catch me!" Chenoa's tiny voice called back as she looked over her shoulder.

A small, skinny boy chased her. He could not be older than six. His eyes were large and round, each a different shade of blue. His hair was shaggy, a mix of large patches of pure white and pure black that reflected silver. At the moment his pale skin was tinted pink from exertion as he tried to get his feet to move faster. Together they were running through short emerald green grass. Both were barefoot and wore simple cloth tunics.

Chenoa held a hand behind her so he could grab hold if he caught up, but she was much faster. He ran awkwardly as if having two feet was new to him. The sight made Chenoa laugh more, her laugh rich and innocent. She rounded a dark redwood, planning to hide behind it, when someone grabbed her.

Startled Chenoa looked up to a stone serious face. His hair was dull silver, hanging down unkempt around his face, his eyes a hard gray. A cross was painted on his face, running down his forehead and chin, skipping over his nose and across his broad cheekbones, glowing a bright vicious white that glinted blue. The man's body was medium build but strong enough to lift the large tree out by its roots. He had a royal, prominent nose, thick lips, and strong cheek and jaw bones. His skin appeared to be a ruddy gray tan, with miniscule black specks that glittered like onyx.

Clothing his body was a black leather jacket that buttoned on the right side of his chest with rough, steel buttons. His legs were clothed with a black rough material that stopped at thick, heavy leather boots. A large hooded cloak hung over his shoulders and on his head. It was black as well with a cream trim around the face of the hood and a single shape repeated five times across it. The design was a circle that opened at the bottom to a small pathway. Inside the circle was a smaller one that was also incomplete, though its ends were jagged and deadly looking. His hands wore heavy leather gloves that bore the same emblem.

Upon seeing him, Chenoa screamed in pure terror as if she knew the man. He shook her hard as if to silence her, but she kept screaming, fighting against him. "No!" was all she could think. Dragging her closer, the man's possessive grip burned her flesh.

"No!" she screamed louder and louder, tears pouring down her face.

"Ona!" a voice broke in and kind arms wrapped around her. "Ona, stop! It's me!"

Blinking through her tears, Chenoa looked around. The little boy had his arms wrapped around her from behind, but no one else was there. The dark man was gone and there was no sign he had ever been there.

"He…he…" Chenoa hiccupped. "He was here…he had me again…"

"No, Ona…no one is here but me and you. We are the only ones. He's gone. He can't hurt you anymore."

"But he was here. I felt him…I saw him…."

"It was in your mind. I promise, he's not here. He's gone…okay?"

Turning to face him, Chenoa could not stop the tears. Her body ached with fear. Even though the boy told her the dark man was gone, she could feel him inside her. He would never really be gone. Crying into the boy's chest, Chenoa shook as he comforted her. Stroking her hair, the boy whispered that she was safe, that the man was gone and never coming back.

"I can still feel him, Gioco…I can feel him and it scares me…"

Chenoa awoke with tears on her face. Her heart hurt as if she had lost a dear loved one. Sniffing, she wiped her face clean. Lately her dreams had been crazy and sometimes scary. Each one she remembered so vividly as if it were real. She didn't like it.

Her distress over the dream distracted her for a long moment, before she realized that something was wrong in the real world. Trying to move her feet, Chenoa found that her legs were bound together and that there were people standing around her. Scrambling to get away, Chenoa found she was surrounded by small people. They were calling to each other in a language she did not understand. More appeared and they threw lassos around her, trying to bind her like a steer.

"Let go of me!" she yelled, pushing against the ropes.

The small people only tightened them. Angrily Chenoa imagined fire in her mind and the ropes instantly went up in flames, disintegrating before her eyes. The creatures or people scattered terrified by her display of power. Even Chenoa was startled by how easily her powers had worked. She realized that her powers were becoming more accessible each time she used them.

"Lieben!" the voices around her squeaked. "Lieben! Kommen Sie!"

A new figure entered Chenoa's vision. It was a tall figure compared to the others and it glowed a deep gold.

"Sleep," it said softly with a wave of its hand.

"What?" Chenoa gasped but found consciousness lost to her.

When Chenoa awoke, she found herself disorientated and sluggish. Sitting up, Chenoa saw that she was no longer bound, but that she was lying on a soft mat in a small tent. Chenoa's head brushed against the top of the tent as she sat up fully. Running her fingers through her hair, Chenoa bit her lip as she thought what to do. Getting on her hands and knees, Chenoa crawled towards the tent flap. Lifting it with one hand, she peered out. Her tent was one of at least twenty in a large enclosure in the silver and gold woods. In the middle of the enclosure was a large fire with green flames licking at a large animal that was on a roasting spit. Two feet appeared next to Chenoa, and the person squatted down as they tapped her on the head.

Looking up Chenoa stared into the face of a young man, only a few years older than herself. He had beautiful chocolate brown skin that was smooth and flawless. His eyes were a warm, rich gold color as was his hair, which looked like tightly spun gold, spiking out of his head in several braids of twisted hair. It looked thick and curly. His face was heart shaped with a broad nose, wide round eyes, and long, thin lips. Against his dark skin, his teeth looked bright white and perfectly straight. Overall he had a pleasant look.

"You are finally avake," he grinned in a heavy accent, very similar to a German one. "Das is good. I am very happy to see das."

He pushed back his hair as she stared at him, exposing very pointed ears that stuck out sideways from his head. Blushing under her gaze, his smile became awkward.

"Vas? Do I have something on my face?"

"No…I am sorry. Where am I?"

"You are in mine village."

"Your village?"

"Ja…mine village."

"And you are?"

"Ah, I am Lieben."

He stood holding out a hand to Chenoa. She took it cautiously and he helped her stand. Standing he was an impressive sight. Lieben easily stood at six feet with a medium build body that had no abundance of fat. As they stood there, Chenoa noticed he had not yet let go of her hand.

"Lieben? It is nice to meet you. I am Chenoa."

"Senoa?"

"Ch... Ch... Chenoa. A ch a sound."

"Vas?"

"Not important. How did I get here, Lieben?"

Lieben blushed, a subtle gold in his cheeks.

"Vell, uh…see ve did not know ifs you vas good or not, so ve…uh…"

"You kidnapped me."

Blushing a deeper gold, Lieben nodded sheepishly.

"You were the person who put a spell on me while those little creatures were tying me up."

"Those vere not creatures! Those vere my family."

His face hardened defensively, and Chenoa held up her free hand in surrender.

"I am sorry. I did not know. I just know I woke up to find people tying me up against my will."

"Ja. Das vas rude of us, but ve vanted to be safe."

"I see. And now?"

"Our priestess told us you vas okay. So ve vish to treat you as un guest."

"How gracious of you."

Chenoa's voice was dry and skeptical, bringing the blush back to Lieben's cheeks.

"I am very sorry. Please accept mine apology."

"Fine. Can you tell me where I am, Lieben?"

"You are in mine village."

"Which is where?"

"Mine village is the largest imp village in the Shimmering Forest of Portae."

"So I am in Portae. Okay. Least that's a start."

"Are you heading somevhere?"

"I am trying to get to Taikaa. My friends are waiting for me there."

"Vhy are you going to Taikaa? Are you not from Maa-Vallan?"

"Yes, but some creatures from Taikaa kidnapped my best friend and I have to rescue her."

"Creatures from Taikaa entered Maa-Vallan?"

"Yes."

"Das is not good."

Lieben released her hand and started pacing. His face creased with concern. Chenoa could tell he was deep in thought but she didn't have time to wait for him.

"I don't mean to be rude but I really need to be going."

"It is night. Vithout the glow from the trees, you cannot travel now."

His face was serious and Chenoa felt as if he would stop her if she tried to leave.

"Why?"

"Because in the night, the trees move and you vill get lost. Portae is alvays changing. People vho are not from here get lost and die easily."

"Oh. I don't need to get lost. I need to find the portal to Taikaa."

"You vill have to vait then until day comes back."

"How long till day break?"

"Oh, quite some time. It has only been night for six hours. It vill be at least another forty-eight hours."

"Two days! Your nights last two days!"

"I do not understand vhat you mean, but our nights last forty-eight to fifty-four hours. The trees take their time."

"Great!"

Chenoa threw her hands in the air and it was her turn to pace. She was stuck in Portae for another two days. What a waste of her time!

"I am very sorry that this upsets you. You are new to our vorld. Yet since you are new, I must ask, how did you come to Portae?"

"I fell off my friend Ursa."

"Fell off? How?"

"We were flying and were attacked. I did something stupid and I fell off her."

"Is Ursa a flying beast of some kind or is she a goddess like you?"

"She's a dragon…wait…you think I'm a goddess?"

"Aren't you? I saw you make the light dance in the trees and conjure water from the air and fruit from the fog."

"Oh…no, I am not a goddess. I am…uh…"

Chenoa did not know if she should share with him that she was a Spellbinder. She flashed back to Ursa warning her about how creatures used to sell Spellbinders as slaves. This boy obviously had powers of his own.

"Den vhat are you?" he probed, innocently curious.

"That's not important. Just know that I am not a goddess."

"Oh…"

He seemed slightly disappointed but he did not push it further.

"Are you hungry? Ve are about to eat a meal."

"Yes, I am very much so."

Holding out his arm, he smiled warmly at her. Lieben reminded Chenoa of the sun, warm and friendly. Taking his arm, she hooked hers around his and followed him to the large fire where large groups were starting to form.

At the fire Chenoa finally got a good look at the people of the village. Lieben had called them imps. The imps were small, the size of children, with round innocent looking faces and anime large eyes of varying colors. Large pointed ears stuck out from their heads sideways and they twitched at the slightest sound. Their bodies were a soft baby pink tone, so different from Lieben's deep brown. Each one had a single, small horn growing from his or her forehead where a widow's peak would normally be. All of them were barefoot and wore merely a tunic with a silver or gold rope belt and small ankle warmers. None of them looked older than ten years, but they had to be. If Chenoa was totally honest with herself, the imps were downright adorable.

They all smiled at her, their grins spreading from ear to ear. Several scooted over so that she and Lieben could have a seat on the ground next to them.

"Do you have anything in your pockets?" Lieben asked curiously.

"Just my cellphone. Why?" Chenoa replied, raising an eyebrow.

There was a crunching sound and tiny voices squabbling. Turning around Chenoa saw that the two imps to her left were playing tug-of-war with her cellphone. Between tugs, they were biting it with their tiny, sharp teeth. Startled, Chenoa noticed the innate mischief in their eyes as they fought over her phone.

"Hey! That's mine!" she piped up, swiping it back quickly.

Both imps, two little boys, looked at her with wide, sad eyes, their ears noticeably drooping. They were so pathetic looking Chenoa considered letting them play with her phone for a while.

"Don't let them fool you," Lieben chuckled. "If you let them play with it, you'll never get it back.'

"Really? But they look so sad and sweet."

"Das is because they are trying to. You know nothing of imps."

"You are right I don't. So why don't you enlighten me?"

"Fine, I vill. Imps are tricksters. Despite their young faces, I am by far the youngest imp here. The next youngest is Lustig, the blue haired girl right across from us. She is merely two hundred years old."

"Two hundred? And how old are you?"

"I am a mere hundred and eighteen. A baby to everyone here."

Hundred and eighteen. Damn.

"So imps never age?"

"No. In order to steal and trick, imps stay young looking forever. People never suspect a child, but never underestimate an imp. Ve can be a very violent and cruel people vhen provoked. Though ve prefer to have fun, play tricks and be silly. Hovever, vhenever you visit, I recommend you don't bring anything important. Imps can't fight their nature."

He raised a hand and Chenoa saw the watch she had been wearing in his hand. She had not even felt him remove it from her wrist. Snatching it back, Chenoa frowned at him. At least he was honest. Lieben laughed and she could finally see the similarity between him and his people. His eyes were anime large too and full of mischief and life.

"How come you do not look like them? I mean you look like a teenager," Chenoa inquired, not trying to be rude.

Lieben's face became serious as he nodded.

"Ja, I am different. I am only half imp. My mater is our priestess, but my vater was a Nonelement."

"Oh, I know about Nonelements."

"You have met one?"

"Yes."

"They are terrible, selfish creatures."

"The one I met didn't seem that bad."

"You are a voman. He must have been a male."

"So?"

"So you vere his prey. Of course he vould seem charming and kind."

"You don't know that."

Chenoa felt defensive both of Tristan and herself. She wasn't stupid. She knew when someone was using her.

"I do not mean to offend you, fraulien. I am just being honest. My mater is the visest of us all here, but she still fell for my vater's tricks. A person cannot resist undying love. No one can and das is vhat Nonelements offer. Undying love."

"Well…"

She did not know what to say. So she turned to the imp to her left who was holding up a plate full of food fresh off the fire pit. Grateful for the distraction, Chenoa took it with a smile. The imp blushed a rose pink and turned back to his friend, giggling together.

"They think you are beautiful," Lieben informed her. "All the imps say you look like fire born into a voman."

"Uh…thank you?"

Lieben nodded as he took a plate offered to him from the imp on his right. They stayed quiet as they ate. The food was very good, though strange to Chenoa's palate. She kept trying to identify the flavors but couldn't. It was all too new to her.

"Where did you find the meat?" Chenoa finally asked, looking at the strange bird like creature on the spit. "I didn't see any animals around here."

"Oh, there are no creatures here but us Imps. Ve vere given the sacred duty to guard the border from the Great Goddess herself. Yet she left us a portal of our ovn, so ve can go and hunt in Taikaa vhen necessary."

"You all have a portal? Could you take me to it?"

"I do not know. I must ask my mater. It is a scared portal to us. Ve don't share it vith others normally."

"Please…I'll do anything you all ask. I need to reach Taikaa. I have to rescue my friend."

"It is our job to turn back those vho vish to cross between the lands. There are few exceptions. I shall ask my mater tonight after dinner. She vill be the one to decide. I am sorry I cannot do more than das."

Sulking, Chenoa hunched her shoulders and finished eating. She did not want to seem ungrateful but she couldn't stay there. Gabby needed her. Nick needed her. And the farther she got into this journey, the more she wanted to know who caused this. Lieben watched her with sad eyes. He did not want to disappoint the beautiful stranger. Even being next to her felt like a blessing from the gods, but he had his sacred duty and he could not betray that. His mater would know what was best. She always did.

So when he finished, he left the young woman to sit next to the fire, listening to his people singing. They had the most beautiful and playful songs. One song they sang stuck in Chenoa's head. It sounded like a children's rhyme.

Bees can be yummy

But don't fill the tummy.

They can be gooshy

but yikes, they sting.

I like them in honey,

So much better than bunnies,

The way that my mommy would make 'em

Bees can be yummy

But don't fill the tummy

Lieben edged his way over to a very pretty imp. She had long plum purple hair and wide, lilac colored eyes. Her horn was a swirl of silver and gold and around it hung an ornate headdress made of gold. The gold chains dipped softly across her forehead, three on each side of her horn. They connected to a silver square with a fine spiral inside of it that wrapped around her petite horn. Along the bows of gold were small diamonds and sapphires to accent her eyes. Watching Lieben approach, she seemed concerned.

Sitting next to his mater, Lieben talked in a hushed voice, nodding his head in Chenoa's direction. The priestess listened intently, her eyes now locked on the girl, who was smiling and joining the imp's silly song. Not saying anything, the priestess studied Chenoa for a long moment.

"Priesterin," Lieben said gracefully. "Am I alloved to help her?"

"I must think," Priesterin replied, her voice so much younger than her age. "I must ask the gods."

"Ja, mater. As you vish.

Lieben stood, bowing to his mater, before rejoining Chenoa. Chenoa hadn't even noticed him absence; she was having so much fun. By the time Chenoa headed to bed, she was fatigued. Despite the fact that she had to wait two more days, Chenoa had enjoyed her time so far with the imps. Escorting her to the tent, Lieben reveled in the tranquil smile on her face. She was happy in his village. Maybe she would stay. Maybe she would be the missing piece he had been looking for.

Saying goodnight, Chenoa ducked into her tent and lay down on the soft matt. It was so much better than the hard floor. Then, for the first time in a while, Chenoa had a dreamless sleep. Next door Lieben slept too, his dreams filled with visions of Chenoa in grandeur. If she was not a goddess, he decided, then she must descend from a family of priestesses for she was that grand.

An hour later Chenoa woke to find Lustig, a young imp with blue hair and vibrant green eyes, staring at her. Lustig grinned toothily, waving Chenoa's watch around.

"Hey!" Chenoa cried, lunging for it.

Lustig easily dodged her and giggled as Chenoa scrambled to her feet. Running out of the tent, Lustig laughed freely as Chenoa chased after her barefooted, shoes forgotten in the tent. In a challenging game of tag, Chenoa ran after Lustig, trying to get her watch back. Lustig, being the youngest of the imps, was thrilled to have someone close to her age to play with. The other imps were much more skilled than she, so she always lost.

After fifteen minutes of chasing Lustig, Chenoa doubled over, her hands on her knees as she tried to catch her breath. Lustig waited a safe distance away, letting the human catch her breath. The human was so very funny to Lustig.

"Come on," Chenoa gasped, now holding the stitch in her side. "Give me my watch back."

"You need to be faster," Lustig teased, dangling the watch out again. "You need to catch me!"

Then Lustig turned and disappeared into the woods. Taking a deep breath, Chenoa sprinted after her. She definitely was getting more exercise than normal. Lieben entered the village circle as Chenoa darted out of it. He couldn't help but grin as he saw Lustig playing with the poor human.

"She vill never catch Lustig that vay," he said out loud, though it was really to himself.

"You should follow them," Priesterin advised, appearing at Lieben's elbow. "A dark shadow is attached to that girl."

Concerned, Lieben looked at his mater, but she was already walking away. In her hands was a round piece of a silver tree. She carefully carved the piece, each stroke of her small blade full of thought. Turning Lieben dashed after Lustig and Chenoa.

"Lustig!" Chenoa called a great distance from the camp. "Where did you go?"

Her chest ached from trying to catch her breath, and Chenoa could not see Lustig anywhere. Feeling slightly annoyed, Chenoa looked around. She was completely alone in the Shimmering Forest. Something prickled at the back of her mind. There was a soft sigh.

"Osiris," Chenoa gasped aloud.

"You can already tell my presence that easily," he whispered affectionately in her mind. "I am touched."

"Leave me alone!"

"I am just watching. I see you are playing tag with that little imp. May I join?"

"No! Leave me alone!"

"That's not very nice."

Shivering Chenoa felt as if his hands were wrapping around her middle, pulling her close to his chest. She swore she could even smell his scent. Nothing she could do resisted him. He was inside of her bones and tissue.

"I just want to play, too. Plus, it seems like you could use some help."

"No."

"No, what, Senoa?" a small voice asked.

Chenoa's eyes popped open and she realized she had been talking aloud. Lustig stood a few feet from her, eyes full of concern. She wasn't having fun anymore and she was worried about the human girl, who appeared to be arguing with someone but no one was around except Lustig.

"Nothing, Lustig. Why don't you head back to the village? I'll be there in a moment," Chenoa said with great effort. She could feel Osiris's touch everywhere on her body as he slipped deeper into her mind.

"Don't send her away, my dear. We can still play," Osiris said only to her.

"Senoa, are you okay?" Lustig gulped, feeling something change about the girl.

Lustig could swear she saw a dark shadow forming behind Chenoa. It was tall and scary. Taking a step back, Lustig saw pain on Chenoa's face.

"Please Lustig, go back to the village. I am dealing with something right now," Chenoa's voice shook as she tried to hold Osiris back from invading her whole body.

"It's no use fighting me, Chenoa. I am stronger than you for now. And I want to play with the little imp. I want to show you how you win this game of chase."

Jerking up, Chenoa's right arm pointed at Lustig, who stood too scared to move. Chenoa yelled "no," but her arm was not in her control. Osiris controlled it and from her arm a woven red light spilled forth like a snake. It raced towards Lustig, who had finally gained feeling in her legs and turned to run.

"No! Stop!" Chenoa screamed, grabbing her right arm with her left hand.

Osiris laughed openly at Chenoa's pathetic attempt to gain back control.

"You cannot physically over power me, my dear. You are just a weak, female human. Learn your place."

Pain radiated through Chenoa's left arm as it was wrenched back as if someone had grabbed it from behind. Tears brimmed her eyes as Chenoa saw Lustig scrambling for safety, the light nipping at her heels, teasing her for it could grab Lustig at any point.

"Please stop," Chenoa begged, her words thick with pain.

"I am just playing, too. And I only just started. Don't be a wet blanket."

The light suddenly snatched Lustig up, who screamed at the top of her lungs in fear. At the moment the light was not hurting her, but its touch felt wrong and she could feel something or someone entering her mind. Suddenly Lustig heard what Chenoa heard. The rich, eerie voice of Osiris slipped into her mind.

"See, Chenoa, I am not hurting the little imp. We are playing. Are we not, little imp?" Osiris cooed to the two girls.

Both girls wept, feeling vulnerable.

"I am sorry, Lustig," Chenoa sobbed.

"Stop apologizing like a weakling," Osiris barked, forcing Chenoa's jaw shut. "You have nothing to apologize for. This is what people with strength do."

Chenoa shook her head. She would never hurt or scare people weaker than she just for her own amusement. Osiris read her thoughts and clucked his tongue loudly in their minds.

"Then I will have to show you how much fun it can be," he growled.

The light tightened around Lustig, who cried even louder. Osiris embraced Chenoa as closely to him as he could so she could feel his power and pleasure as he began to dive into Lustig's deepest fears. Shivering in revulsion, Chenoa wanted to free Lustig and herself from his grip. Images flashed in both minds of fire and monsters that Chenoa could never have imaged. Lustig began screaming in terror.

"Stop!" Chenoa yelled in her mind. "For the love of God, stop!"

Something physically tackled Chenoa from behind. Osiris, startled, did not have time to react. Violently flipped over, Chenoa looked into the angry and confused eyes of Lieben, whose hair was sparking gold energy. Lustig fell to the ground and wailed in pain and fear. Lieben raised a hand, great power flowing into it. Realizing what he was about to do, Lustig ran to him and grabbed his arm.

"No, Lieben!" she called out. "She is possessed! Someone is inside of her! It isn't her fault!"

Without a change in his expression, Lieben lowered his hand full of power onto Chenoa's face. As the power struck her, Lieben shouted into the night air, "Bind and Blind!"

A blast of power hit Chenoa and shockwave rolled through the clearing. Lustig was thrown backwards a few feet, though Lieben held his position on top of Chenoa. Chenoa's body was frozen, her eyes wide open but unseeing. Scampering back to Chenoa, Lustig wailed over her body.

"What did you do?" she sobbed. "I told you it wasn't her! I could hear him inside of her!"

"Lustig, calm yourself. I know. I saw the dark shadow he left standing behind her," he said stoically.

Hiccupping Lustig wiped her eyes.

"You did?"

"Of course. I only followed because Priesterin varned me to. I see vhat she vas talking about. So I merely bound Chenoa's body and mind until ve can remove him from her body."

"Oh…okay…"

Lieben lifted the stunned Chenoa into his arms and carried her back to the village. He had to suppress a shiver as he held her body. For one brief moment, he had been afraid to approach her. Her body had emitted such a feeling of power and danger that he had been scared. Whatever or whoever possessed her was a fearsome foe indeed.