Chapter Fifty: Tark and Fianna

A loud crash in the living room awoke me from my slumber. I glanced around the bed, but Mil wasn't there. I sat up and pressed my new legs onto the floor. I could feel the pressure placed on them and wiggled my vine-toes. It was strange, but I was glad I could move again.

A pained cry alerted me to some altercation, and I shot up to my feet. I had to bang against a wall to keep my balance, but ended up falling to the ground. I gritted my teeth as I gathered my strength and held onto the wall to stand. My legs were shaky beneath me, but I managed to walk to the living room. I felt as if it was a never-ending hallway until I reached the edge. Fianna was crying in pain as a male trekker I hadn't seen before grasped her by the hair and pulled her close to him. He sneered as he felt her breasts and sniffed her neck. Fianna slashed at him with her sharp claws, but the trekker was faster and evaded. He bound her arms behind her and cackled as the other trekker caught hell with Mil. Mil was angrier than I had ever seen, but her elbows and kicks weren't deterring the other trekker.

I thought of a rock big enough to hurt them, and something crashed through the closest window. It punched through the groin of both attackers, and their shrill screams pierced through the cold air as they crumpled to their knees.

"Tark!" Fianna cried when she saw me at the doorway. She ran to me and hugged me tightly. "Tark! Something happened to Jopp! He's been taken by another Jopp! The other Jopp was better looking, but I still have my eyes on you!"

"You should be resting in bed!" Mil fussed as she kicked the trekkers in the face, knocking them unconscious. "Tark!"

My legs gave out beneath me, and I crumpled to the ground. Jopp? Kidnapped? By whom? There were so many questions in my head until Mil helped me up and back into bed.

"Don't overexert yourself, Tark," Mil ordered. "I'm just as worried about Jopp as you are. If it is who I think it is, Jopp isn't in danger."

"Who could it be?" I asked. "His family? Why would they take him?"

"He had turned into a demon a very long time ago, and his mother had disowned him," Mil explained in a soft voice. "Since he's been purified, I could feel someone watching us. I didn't know what it was until now."

She showed me the mind link that she had with him, and it revealed a meadow full of blooming wildflowers that filled the air with crimson and violet petals. The gusts of wind swayed the flowery vines that the forest nymphs were made of. Jopp's orange and yellow flowers were unmistakable, and he was sitting in the middle of a circle of forest nymphs. He didn't seemed frightened, and the aura felt peaceful. I sighed with relief. As I watched, I realized he was staring at the forest nymph in front of him. Her blue gray eyes reminded me of a stormy sea, and her posture seemed disinterested in him. It hurt my heart to see it, just as Mayzel treated me.

"He's not . . ." I began. "He's not planning to go with them, is he?"

Mil gulped and shook her head. "They want him back, but he doesn't plan on leaving us."

As if he had heard us, Jopp spoke in an angry tone.

"You expect me to forgive you for everything you've done?!" he hollered. "You let that asshole cut off my wings and torture me, and you really think we can be buddies?! I've never felt so disgusted, even as a demon. The devil is an angel compared to this heartless harlot!"

The forest nymph's face shifted from disinterested to livid. She gnashed her sharp teeth at him, and the sight of it sent shivers down my spine.

Jopp didn't flinch and stared at her as she paced.

"Your father died to keep you alive," she revealed. "He saved you from Ozzim's clutches, and it cost him his life. I want nothing to do with you. You're cursed and not worth my time. This meeting was called to decide your fate. Will we let you live or kill you for what you've done?"

I shook Mil with my vine-hands, and she winced. "We have to get him out of there! Oh! Sorry!"

"I'm not going to let any of you decide what the hell happens to me!" Jopp raged. "If you even dare bother me with this stupidity again, I'll strike you where you stand!"

She slashed at his face, leaving deep claw marks that bled his green blood.

"Aeklith, stop!" I shouted. I didn't even know if it would work. I wasn't human anymore, but Jopp turned to the side, as if he had heard me.

He was furious enough to decimate the entire forest, but I knew it would only make things worse. The shadow-tainted trees glowed violet, and the miasma was approaching them. They didn't have much time before the shadow spirits would attack.

My heart beat painfully, as if their sharp claws were raking against my flesh. The hot pain surged through me, and I gritted my teeth to not alarm anyone.

"Tark!" Mil blurted as she held me up. "Jopp! Something's wrong!"

I clutched my chest as I tried to breathe. My vision was growing darker by the second.

"Tark! Hang in there!" Mil shouted. Her voice soon became muffled until a pair of warm hands held my face.

Fianna's serious visage was the last thing I expected, but her presence brought me a strength I never knew was possible.

"I want honest children that are brave enough to fight for what they believe in, and be accepting with goodness of others. I can't have a wife that steals for fun, lies to my friends, and runs in the sight of danger. Do you understand, now, Fianna?" I had stared at her in the kitchen of the house of Mayzel Fort. The setting sun had pierced the windows with orange rays, making her opal skin glimmer as her auburn hair glowed like fire.

"But that's everything Jopp did," Fianna had mumbled. "He's your friend, too."

I had sighed in exasperation as she was adamant on being my girlfriend. The sound of harsh coastal waves had reminded me of the thunderstorm that had rolled through that day. "I'm not ready for anyone in my life," I had told her. I couldn't stand the heartbreak again.

"I won't disappoint you, Tark," Fianna professed as she held me to her bosom. Her breasts were bigger than Mayzel's and almost suffocated me.

Mil punched Fianna's arm. "He can't breathe!"

I gasped for air once Fianna loosened her grip, and I held her so tight that I thought she would bruise, but she didn't complain. Her soft body felt wonderful, and I found my breaths had calmed. I was lulled to sleep in her embrace. It was a long time since peace had washed over me.