Chapter Thirty: Tark Mayzel

I kept telling myself that this was a dream. Penny Lee wasn't a beautiful she-devil that had tried to defeat her brother to save us. Noforl wasn't dead by my hand.

I still felt the throbbing of my fists as I punched him, over and over. He had healed himself time and again. I thought my anger would never end until Noforl finally dropped dead after two weeks.

Darkness found me as well, but I didn't sense danger. I heard Jopp speaking to me the whole time I was asleep. Penny Lee's real name was Mayzel. He was right. I decided for Mayzel to be my second name. I'm Tark Mayzel, now.

When I awoke, the room I was in opened like a blooming flower. A forest nymph came running from the patio and hugged me.

"Tark's awake! Hey everybody! Tark's up! Get some grub! He's gonna be hungry!"

"Tark!" Hekin and Sketta hollered from the swimming pool.

"I knew you'd be all right!" Hekin shouted. Sketta scowled as she gave him a familiar chocolate bar. Ye of little faith.

Chichi bear-hugged me and squealed with delight. "Master! You! Get away! He's mine!"

"I thought I was yours!" a wind nymph pouted.

Chichi glanced between us and sighed as she released me. "Sorry, Master. Thorn has some naughty ways about him." Thank you, Thorn!

The forest nymph led me into the house that was just like home, but it was close to a pristine beach with diamond sands and turquoise waters. The ocean waves calmed me until my stomach growled.

"There's a great feast for Tark!" Mil gushed as she took my hand. "Come sit!"

The dining table had Golir and Rif speaking with other Golirs. I rubbed my eyes to make sure I wasn't imagining things.

"The Golirs that have red auras are trekkers," the forest nymph revealed. "They're great kids, but they want nothing to do with me."

"Why's that?" I wondered.

"I'll explain later. For now, enjoy the feast."

Roasted meats, fresh fruits, vegetables, and beverages lined the whole table. The first thing I grabbed was a pint of beer and chugged that down.

"To Tark!" everyone toasted.

I licked the froth from my lips and agreed. "Yeah! Thanks, everyone! This is great!"

I was so hungry that I tried every dish, and my favorite settled on the most tender roast beef that seemed to fall apart. A spicy and tangy sauce slapped my mouth and woke me up.

I felt at ease with everyone, and the new ladies were beautiful as they joined us. We sang until the beer and liquor kicked in and knocked us down, one by one, until I passed out, too.

I woke up to a soft wind chime, and I noticed the forest nymph was swinging in the hammock outside with Mil.

"How long do you think we have?" she queried.

"If we can hide signs of life, perhaps a few years," the forest nymph responded. "The immortal witches will try to resurrect Noforl. I think Tark has absorbed his soul. The crimson hair, violet eyes . . ."

I gulped as I sat up to check the mirror. My face was the same, but my hair, eyes, and body were different. My violet eyes flashed green, and it unnerved me a bit. Who was I looking at? I did resemble Noforl with the hair, though mine was short to my ears and not long. The streaks of silver and dark blue reminded me of the feathers. I sighed with relief when I noticed them in my arm brace. I felt the jacked form of my chest and abs. I didn't remember gaining any of this.

I recalled Mayzel in my arms. She was so light, warm, and beautiful. I felt as if my heart had been wrenched out of me. She had raised me as her own but suppressed my memories of her. Only as she lay dying did I realize everything she had done for me. Her smiles as she fed me. Her songs as she washed and clothed me. Her laughter as she played with me.

My father's spirit filled me with hope. My mother's spirit filled me with joy. Mayzel filled me with life.

I gulped as I recalled her fighting games.

"Put your heart into it, Tark!" she had encouraged. "You're saving the world, you know!"

"Yah!" I had shouted as I threw the hardest punch I could at the steel beam. It had crumpled into a flat sheet with the force.

"Oh, damn," I muttered. "Jopp!" I ran to Mil and shook her awake. "Mil! Where's Jopp?"

"I'm right here," the forest nymph responded with dark and angry eyes.

I grabbed the forest nymph's cheeks and squeezed them. "Jopp? You look like a girl! No way!"

"You are so dead!" Jopp blasted. "Get your damn hands off me!"

"What the hell happened to you?!" I started. "You were ugly before and now you're . . ." I pointed at his flowers. "You're blooming?"

Jopp raised an eyebrow. "I looked like this before I was a demon, Tark."

"Tell us about it!" I demanded as I sat in the hammock with them.

"Don't!" Jopp warned.

The vine holding the hammock snapped, and we crashed to the ground. I felt something soft on my head, and I felt the blood rushing as I thought it was Mil's shapely breasts. Once I noticed Mil was laughing beside me, I glanced up. Jopp's ass was on top of my head. I stood up so fast that he rolled off my back and slumped to the floor.

"Tark!" Jopp hollered. "I really hate you!"

"I really hate you, too!" I shouted back.

"What's all the racket?" Hekin asked from a treehouse below us. Sketta appeared from behind him and shielded her eyes from the sun with a frown.

"Jopp doesn't look like himself!" I started. "What happened to you?"

Jopp sighed as he left the balcony.

"We're not demons anymore," Hekin explained. "You've purified us, Tark."

I stared at him, not believing it one bit. "Stop kidding!" I almost yelled. "That's crazy! I'm not pow--" The memory of my angelic father stopped my mouth. "But I--" I couldn't find the words. "I'm really sorry, guys! If I had known . . ."

Hekin smiled at me. "We saved the world from Noforl's darkness, Tark. If purifying us was the cost, I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

I sighed with relief. "Thanks, Hekin. I don't think Jopp feels the same way."

"He'll come around," Hekin assured.

I wasn't convinced. Jopp could hold deep grudges, and I knew how cruel he could be. Why wasn't he happy like the others? He had mentioned the immortal witches. It made me wonder if they worried him.

Mil took my hand and nodded. "He's much weaker than before, Tark."

"What?" I blurted. "Is that what's bothering him?"

"He tries so hard to keep this place up to snuff and have it safe for everyone," she continued. "Thorn helps, but he does overwork himself."

I hadn't realized how much he was doing, and being weaker than before . . .

"Thanks, Mil," I nodded as I patted her hand. "I'll talk to him."