Chapter Thirty-nine: Fianna's Fate

I scratched my head when we received a mind-tap from Mil. Survivors had been found at Gatchu Mountain, and a trekker called Fianna was adamant about talking to Jopp and I.

"Do you think she's pretty?" I asked Jopp as I fixed my hair.

Jopp glanced into the living room from the kitchen door and shook his head. "She looks like pigeon crap."

I sighed as I crossed my arms. Jopp's visage didn't match up with what he was saying. His eyes were wide with excitement, but his mouth was a straight line. "Really?"

"If you like looking at bird crap, she might be your type," he added.

I glared at him. "Come on, Jopp. She thinks I'm the commander. I'm just tagging along, honestly."

Jopp saluted me with a serious expression. "Sir, yes, sir!"

"Shh!" I hissed and placed his arm at his side. "If anything, you're the leader of this endeavor." Jopp had done so much, and I was beginning to think that he didn't realize how much he's changed, from an awfully grumpy demon, to a slightly less patient, forest nymph-angel hybrid. Sometimes, I could see the pain of the past in his eyes when he winced. He had a heart of gold, but it was shrouded in a fog of awful memories. I wanted him to have great memories from now on. I was determined to keep this world spinning, even if it meant it had to spin on my back.

Jopp slowly nodded. "Despite that, I did kill a trekker. She might not be agreeable if she knows that." He patted my khaki vest and shook his head. "Please tell me you're not going to meet her in that."

"What's the deal?!" I blurted. "I'm an explorer!"

"You look like an idiot!" he shot back. "You're better off with pants. Your knees look like skulls. Besides, a nice dark green will bring out your red hair. That khaki is awful!"

He changed my clothes accordingly and nodded his approval.

Mil strolled into the kitchen and gasped. "He's not going to a funeral, Jopp! He's meeting Fianna!"

"Great timing, Mil," Jopp uttered as he ushered her in front of me. "This needs a female opinion."

"Emerald green," Mil declared, and my clothes changed to that color. "Amethyst trim on the vest here and . . . tie or no tie?"

"Tie," Jopp snickered.

"No tie!" I demanded. "They're like a business noose. It's embarrassing."

"Chest hair?" Jopp asked.

"No, and be quiet," Mil told him. She buttoned up my jacket and nodded.

"It's hot!" I frowned.

"Fine, take it off," Mil ordered.

I smiled as I stood there with the emerald green vest and pants with amethyst trim and a pastel green long sleeve.

Jopp shook his head. "His big head throws it off."

"Shut up!" I muttered.

Mil narrowed her eyes and shook her head. "He needs something . . ."

"Haircut?" Jopp suggested. "Business in the front and wild in the back?"

"No!" I almost shouted.

Jopp chuckled as he tapped Mil's shoulder. "Just shave the middle of his head. It's trendy."

"Don't let him cut anyone's hair," I told her.

Mil placed a tiny top hat on my head and giggled. "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist!"

So much for trusting her . . .

I sighed as I took off the hat and approached the door that led into the living room.

Did I mention that I tend to make a fool of myself in front of other people that I meet?

"You must be Fianna, the trekker," I uttered as I held out my hand for a handshake. Her opal skin shimmered a ruby red in the lamplight. Her glowing blue eyes mellowed to a simmer. She took my hand and sniffed it. The thought of stumbling my words flew out my mind when she did so. "They call me Tark," I continued, trying to get my hand back from her sharp claws. "You can call me Tark. They told me you've been helping humans. Care to share your story?"

Fianna poked my ribs. It didn't hurt, but my mouth produced an 'ow' anyway.

"Normally, I wouldn't trust a human leader," she muttered. "But you're not all human. I smell the morning breeze, the scent of angels."

"Is that a good thing?" I wondered.

"Trekkers and angels haven't been on the best terms," she informed. "Despite that, I'm willing to bring the humans under my charge. My family has lived at Gatchu Mountain for as long as I can remember. We scarcely had contact with humans until the world was plunged into Noforl's darkness. My father wished to help the humans, and he died fighting Noforl's forces."

"I'm sorry to hear that," I offered. "I would've liked to meet him and thank him."

Fianna's eyes welled with tears as she nodded. "So would I."

It was then I felt as if someone was watching us. I stared at the kitchen door and noticed Jopp, Mil, Hekin, Sketta, Thorn, and Chichi were all peering from the crack at the edges of the door. A rustle made me glance at the front door, and five pairs of angry eyes were glaring from the door's window.

"Friends of yours?" I queried as I pointed out the jealous onlookers. Three of them were men, while the other two were women. They left once Fianna glanced at them. The way they behaved around her was strange. Hekin said they didn't speak but moved as if she was telling them what to do. I couldn't help but feel that we met another Grace.

Fianna handed me a cup of tea, and the difference in its smell set alarm bells. She had planned to take over from the moment she had heard of another settlement.

I had hoped we could be friends.

I sighed before I tossed the poisoned teacup at the kitchen door and glared at her when she flinched.

"Who put you up to this?" I almost growled. "King Ozzim?"

Fianna scowled before she lunged at me and tried to slice my neck open with her claws. Vines erupted from the floor and speared her limbs, tethering her from the ground to the ceiling. She wriggled, trying to free herself, and her silver trekker blood flowed.

Jopp was livid as he almost tore off the front door and captured her human friends with his vines. He threw them to the ground before her and bound them at their hands and legs with thorny cuffs. He shut every window and door before erecting his green barrier.

I didn't see how angry he could be until now. His dark eyes lit with a green fire until I stepped in front of him. "Jopp, calm down."

Hekin and Sketta stood beside me while Thorn and Chichi approached Jopp. Mil covered her ears as the barrier exerted pressure on our bodies like a roller coaster. All I could hear was a thundering sound that seemed to never end until Fianna screamed as her limbs were being ripped off.

"Jopp!" I hollered. "Stop it!"

Jopp was working his jaw as he glared at her. I turned him around and kept his eyes on me. "Let her go," I ordered. "She has information we can use. She'll keep it to her grave if you hurt her more. Jopp, will you do that for me?"

Jopp stared at me for a long time, and I could tell he was debating whether to do so or not. Thorn and Chichi glanced at each other while Hekin and Sketta approached. I shook my head at them, and they stopped. Mil wiped her tears before biting her lip. She didn't want Jopp to kill them, either.

I knew it would be hard for Jopp to control himself, especially with how dangerous the situation could be, but I needed him to find his angelic side. I wanted to trust him, and I let him know as much.

"King Ozzim couldn't control you," I uttered. "That's why he tore off your wings. He wanted you to feel helpless and turn into a demon, so you wouldn't be able to challenge him." It felt as if the world had stopped around us. "Don't fall into his trap, Jopp."

Jopp finally seemed pensive as he stared at the ground. "How can I challenge him?" he asked, releasing a sigh.

"She's witnessed his powers," I whispered. "She's older than she looks, and she's one of the Elder Trekkers."

Jopp gulped as he stared at me, shocked. "Oh crap!"

"Your anger blinded you," I revealed. "If you had killed her, King Ozzim would've succeeded in making you a demon again."

"I would've lost control and eaten her," Jopp muttered. "Damn!" He made the vines disappear, and Fianna dropped to the ground with a loud thud. Her wounds healed as I helped her up, and the bloodlust in her eyes was gone.

She rubbed her forehead and glanced at us. "Those are some hellish vines you've got, Jopp!" she admonished. "Warn me next time, will you?!"

"Take a crack at my friend again," he growled. "I'll rip you a new asshole!"

"All right! That's enough!" I demanded. Fianna's human friends were released from their cuffs, and their confused gazes confirmed what I had learned.

"Who are you guys?" one of the women asked. "What kind of place is this?"

"It's heaven compared to what I remember," one of the men commented.

"This is Tark's home," Jopp responded. "He makes the rules. Right Tark?"

Great way for him to shove their interaction to me.

"I'm Tark and he's Jopp," I told them. "These are our friends, Hekin, Sketta, Mil, Chichi, and Thorn. The trekker family lives here with the immortal witch, Gabby, and her daughter, Fayeth. I hope everyone can get along and work together with the ten survivors that live here, too."