The Mansion of Amire Okrich, Day 48 A.F

Matthew had said there'd be so much death. He couldn't have been more correct.

While Amire had kept Lalita and I holed up in his safe house like hermit crabs, the village below had been ravaged by the furious flood waters.

The water had receded after the catastrophic flood, taking most of the innocent people with it. They were swept out to an unforgiving sea, powerless to stop their demise.

And I'd watched, nestled in a secured tower.

A few days after the Flood, Amire had permitted me to visit what was left of the village. He'd insisted I be supervised, as if he thought I'd run away. Where would I go? 

I'd searched the beach, praying to every god I could think of that I might find some sign of life. There was nothing but destruction.

The houses hadn't stood a chance against the colossal wave. They'd been ripped from their foundations, tossed around like a child's play blocks.

Mrs. Bithiah's bakery was demolished. In the wreckage, I could see soaked bits of moldy bread, half picked away by hungry birds. Had Mia and Rilda made it back in time to reunite with their mother before the ocean tore them apart forever?

My home was less demolished than most, but still not habitable. My twelve majestic oak trees leaned towards the house, appearing as though they'd taken the brute force of the water. They were uprooted and rotting. I'd mourned them with as much grief as I'd mourned many of the deceased villagers. My beloved Haven was no more.

Upon deducing that my hopes of finding life were slim, I'd attempted to identify the bodies. Perhaps if I could find Mother or Paltic, I could offer them some tribute. I couldn't locate Paltic. She and the priest's prayer circle were all missing, dragged out to the ocean no doubt.

Mia and Turka hadn't made it. I'd discovered them sprawled, tangled amongst downed trees. Their limbs were entwined, inseparable even in death. But what about little Rilda? She'd been dragged out to sea before finding her big sister.

I'd found Jakai, body broken amongst a collection of beach rocks. His head appeared to have been smashed open on one of them. Although guilty, I couldn't suppress a small feeling of justice at the sight. He got what he deserved.

But there was no justice in my mother's death.

I'd found Mother away from the beach. Where she'd been running, I didn't know. Perhaps she'd been searching for Lalita and I. Her cause of death was unidentifiable, but how she died didn't matter. All that mattered was that she was dead.

Kneeling beside her, I'd allowed tears to well in my eyes. I hadn't wanted to cry in front of Amire, but couldn't help it.

Amire hadn't seemed to mind my tears, only observing everything with cool indifference, or a scholar's detached interest.

Perhaps I'd misjudged him.

Amire had saved my sister and I and never pressed the fact that we'd never officially been married. He never tried to touch me without permission. His aura was still threatening, but his kind actions, his taking in of Lita and me, implored me to look beyond that.

Daily life in his mansion wasn't bad. Amire had provisions of food and water stored up as if he'd anticipated the Flood. He even had a supply of woman's clothing, perhaps bought in preparation for his bride to be.

Lalita barely let food pass her lips, only eating enough to keep her alive. Her already slender frame had thinned dangerously. The only comforting development was that Lita now spoke freely, as if the Flood had dragged whatever trauma Father had instilled in her out to sea with its hundreds of victims.

Amire owed the change to shock, claiming that everyone reacted differently to trauma. The stress of the Flood had reawakened Lita's voice.

Now, Lalita yammered on about why the Flood had happened. She owed to the gods playing an elaborate game, but I only pretended to listen. My attention was always fixed on the new voice that plagued me, almost drowning out the voices of those directly in front of me.

I'd had the audacity to hope that the voices were just warnings of the Flood, but they'd only intensified after the disaster. The only upside was that my unexplainable claws had disappeared, and my hair had returned to its normal color, leaving me to wonder if I'd imagined the change.

The three female voices I'd heard previously had grown louder.

-I Descend Upon you like Nightfall.-

-Red of Tooth and Claw.-

And the ever chilling -Blood will Tell. Blood will Run. But the Tears of the Damned always Taste Sweet.-

That sultry male voice had silenced for the most part, although it too sounded from time to time.

-A Wise Man in the Guise of a Boy.-

Other voices had joined the maddening chorus.

-Terror from the Abyss.-

Despite the ominous message, I didn't find the new female's voice particularly threatening. She seemed warm and friendly, someone I would like to meet. I sighed as I realized why I was drawn to that voice; it reminded me of Paltic's.

No, the new voice that set me so on edge was louder than the others, an aggressive snarl of    -I'll make a Feast of your Bones!-

I certainly didn't want to meet whoever owned that voice, although I still wasn't convinced that they weren't just figments of my troubled mind.

Amire had been gone for several hours. This wasn't abnormal. He left daily, to work on his project.

-A Wise Man in the Guise of a Boy.-

I shuddered as the familiar voice echoed in my mind.

Lalita looked up from her book. She'd been reading me a passage about a Hermit. I'd been wondering why she cared so much about crabs when my thoughts had drifted elsewhere and her voice faded from my awareness. "What is it, Ayesha? Do you hear the Calls?"

"Um..." I hadn't confessed to my sister about the voices. Not when she seemed to be recovering. I wouldn't do anything to risk her progress and let her fall back into her own delusions. "I just thought I heard something."

Lita nodded with understanding, fingering the lantern necklace that still hung from her slender neck. "He returns."

How she'd known was beyond me, but moments later Amire opened the heavy metal door and entered the foyer Lalita and I passed time in. "Good evening, ladies."

Despite the chill that ran through me every time Amire spoke, I'd made an effort to be polite. After the adrenaline of the wedding and Flood had passed, I saw that he'd done nothing wrong. It wasn't fair for me to judge him so harshly.

"Evening, sir," I replied, offering Amire a smile as I stood to greet him. Lita didn't join me, but she watched Amire carefully from her place on the floor. "How was your work today?"

"Productive," Amire answered, a glint of pride in his intelligent eyes. "I dare say there will be a development tomorrow."

"Won't you let me see?" I asked, curious as to where my protector went each day.

"I've not decided," Amire said, inhaling deeply. He seemed vaguely unfocused, eyes not as sharp as usual. "I had planned on showing you my Laboratory the night we were to be wed, but my plans have altered slightly."

Laboratory? I remembered that Amire had been a medic, renowned for his skill despite his young age. Was he still practicing medicine?

"And why is that?" I questioned, becoming used to our casual conversations. Always formal, but civil. We weren't enemies, but things were awkward. I doubted Amire had forgotten my repulsion towards marrying  him.

Could I have hurt the man's pride?

"I never expected to enjoy your company so much," he admitted. "I've enjoyed our evening discussions."

"And why would that change if I saw your laboratory?"

"There's something I wish to show you, Ayesha." Amire smoothly changed the subject, but I allowed it. He extended a hand slowly, unsure if I'd accept his touch.

Not seeing any reason not to, I slipped my hand into Amire's, once again wondering why I'd so harshly judged him. It wasn't in my character. Amire had been a perfect gentleman during my stay here.

He led me away from Lalita, down a narrow corridor past his bedroom. From the open door I could see his large mattress. Had he expected me to share it with him?

-I'll make a Feast of your Bones!-

I shuddered at the voice.

Amire didn't seemed fazed, which was typical. No one else seemed to hear the voices, which was only more proof I imagined them.

We came to a large door which Amire seemed to struggle to open. What was inside almost drew a scream from my lips.

A hunchbacked beast with wicked horns and cloven hooves snarled before me.

-I'LL MAKE A FEAST OF YOUR BONES!-

The volume of the growl sent me tottering. When I regained my balance I focused on the figure.

Not a demon as I'd originally perceived, but a boy. At least, that's what I believed. The creature sniffed the air, giving a soft warning growl. Bone-like growths protruded from his head, resembling horns. His meaty arms were chained to the floor.

"Ayesha," Amire said, motioning to the creature, "this is Chesed. He's something like my... brother."

I wanted to run away. I didn't want to look at Chesed's deformed body. I chided myself for being so cruel, but he radiated danger and brute strength. "Brother?"

"Yes." Amire nodded. "When I was young my father came across a child being stoned in a distant village. He was deemed a Devil for his deformities. Father rescued him and brought him home. Chesed has lived here ever since."

"Why is he chained?" Oddly, the idea that Amire and his father would take in a boy like this endeared him to me. He couldn't be bad if he could see past Chesed's outward appearance.

"Chesed has..." Amire seemed to be searching for the correct word- "rage control problems. If I let him roam free he becomes unpredictable. It's safer for all of us if he remains bound. That's why I show you this. If you hear anything strange, Chesed is likely the cause."

I nodded. It was unfair to Chesed, but I understood. However, Amire could never understand just how strange of things I heard. I highly doubted Chesed was behind the voices.

"Girl smells tasty!" As if to validate Amire's point, Chesed snarled, "want blood! I am the Devil! Food. Food! Girl blood food!"

I shrank closer to Amire as Chesed strained against his chains.

"Don't be frightened," Amire assured me. "The ridicule from his childhood caused him to believe he truly is a Devil and he craves death because of this. I'm not certain, but sometimes I believe he can smell it. So much so close is causing him to retaliate a bit. But don't worry. Chesed has only broken free four times before."

Somehow, I didn't find that comforting.

Still, as Amire and I walked hand and hand back to the foyer, I couldn't get over how much patience it must have taken for him to continue caring for a creature as dangerous as Chesed. Although it made me a despicable person, I had trouble viewing Chesed as human, yet Amire had referred to him as his brother.

I was far more judgmental than the medic. 

"Amire..." I mumbled while we were still alone. "I'm sorry about how I reacted at the wedding. It wasn't fair."

Amire looked me up and down, inhaling again. His eyelids drooped slightly and the corners of his lips twisted upward. Smiling, I could see why Amire had been the village's most desired bachelor. "Don't blame yourself, Ayesha. The instinct was natural. Still... there's no reason we can't try to proceed as husband and wife?"

I felt Amire's gaze dip to my chest subtly, eyes hopeful. Had he really wanted to marry me?

Swallowing, I pulled my blouse higher on my neck.

Amire gave a curt nod, whatever spell he seemed to be under broken. "I see."

With that, Amire walked back to his room, leaving me in the threshold of the foyer.

Wondering if I should have taken Amire up on his offer, I sat beside Lalita. "Maybe I acted irrationally at the wedding... Amire is a good man."

My sister tilted her head in consideration. "Good man? He's a wise man."

I bit my lip, her words seeming all too familiar. "A wise man in the guise of a boy?"

But she only gazed at me with a breezy smile.

((Life reaching some aspect of normalcy for Ayesha? What do you think? Any thoughts on the voices?))