What Lies Beneath His Pelt?

CHAPTER 4: THE BOY AND THE CHILD

December 23, XX20 || 22:30:03

Kaicoshocus, Daemomachi, Iasa

"Maldicidenti. Your grandfather is such a culooch if I'm being honest." Liam mused after I told him what happened and I sighed.

"I want to disagree but...maldicidenti, do you know the full story of the Hadansmuto? Maybe it will help me track it down...” I asked as I rubbed the back of my neck again.

“Sorry man, I’m not a native of Daemomachi. There might be some who know it, but I doubt they would share it with you. People here are scared of breaking the rules. Do you want to grab a drink instead? I mean what you told me was kinda heavy. Maybe you need to relax?” He asked and I didn’t have to think too hard.

I’ll deal with this tomorrow.

“Yeah, sure. Take the lead, Liam." He simply chuckled and swerved the car to the right towards a narrow street wedged between two huge buildings.

It only took us ten minutes before we stopped in what seemed to be another packed parking lot. I raised an eyebrow since all I could see was an open area surrounded by pine trees, and only street lights lit it up.

“Where are we?” I asked as I squinted through the glass. I heard the click of Liam’s seat belt as he released it.

“Do you trust me, Father?” He grinned, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

“Trust that you won’t murder me or trust that you won’t sell me to some organ gathering organization?” I asked. His laugh was low and hearty.

“Nah, you're too pretty to be sold to pieces. I'll earn more if I sell you alive and complete."

I smacked the back of his head with my hand but released my seatbelt nonetheless.

“Let’s just go wherever you’re gonna take me,” I answered as I chuckled to myself.

After we had secured our belongings, we walked towards the edge of the parking lot when, all of a sudden, I heard rustling coming from the surrounding forest and labored breathing. The scent of sweat and blood infiltrated my nostrils, so I took out my nails and prepared for battle.

Liam held his gun in one hand while the other was poised as a claw and, with bated breath, we waited, all caution thrown into the wind.

There was a grunt and a figure crouched in front of us. They were covered in mud, dirt, and blood and they wore an oversized coat that belonged to a bigger person. Their hair was matted and they looked up at us.

"Please-please. Help us. My brother, he's sick please." The voice cracked but it was low nonetheless. I assumed that he was a teenager.

"Your brother?" Liam asked. When the boy stood up, I noticed that he had someone snuggled against his chest. The child was also covered in dirt and mud but there were no traces of blood.

"Please. We lost them in the forest but I'm not sure how long it will take before the dirt and mud will stop hiding our scents, please," he continued nervously.

"Alright. We'll take you to the hospital," Liam grabbed the boy by his shoulder but he yelped in pain and cowered.

"Don’t-don't please. Don't hurt me. Don't please!" He pleaded. There was a pang in my heart.

"It's alright, it's alright, we won't hurt you. You're far away from them. What's your name?" I said in the most soothing voice I could give (since my low and gruff voice intimidated others) as I crouched down to his level.

He took a few seconds to pull himself together before he spoke nervously again, "Edmund-Edmund and this is Victor."

"Alright, Edmund. Let's go, yeah?" I said as I reached out my hand, nails retracted. He looked at it before he took it.

“Guess the drinks will wait until further notice,” I mused. Liam nodded.

“Yeah. Come on, let’s hurry then.” And as if on cue, we heard voices coming from the forest Edmund came from and he tensed again.

We moved as quickly as we could, Liam in front while I guarded the back. We left before anyone else noticed. I tried to look for something we could use to clean up our passengers but I didn’t have any toiletries in my bag and Liam’s tissue box was empty.

“So where are we going then?” I asked as I watched the mirrors for any signs of someone following us.

“To someone who can help.”

We made our way back to the central district. When we approached the wall again, he swerved to the right and I watched as the lively city disappeared from my line of sight.

Pine trees and other foliage lined the side of the roads (still cobblestone) and only street lights served as our guide along the long, winding road. It was a good thing the radio still played, otherwise I might have lost my patience.

There were a few gas stations here and there. The only assurance that I had that we weren’t going the wrong way was the railway that still ran between the roads. It still had a fairly large number of passengers on it.

For thirty minutes, all I saw were trees, but when I saw commercial buildings, I began to be at ease.

Most of the buildings were restaurants and cafes that had various cuisines, some were stores that sold herbs and other magic items.

There were even grocery stores that catered to every Rathean, from the Chydaeus (humans who possessed extraordinary abilities), Ibridas (creatures who were half-human, half-Fabulares), and even Fabulares (full-blooded extraordinary creatures like Merfolk, Hippogriffs, the works).

“So what part of the city are we in?” I asked as I snuck a look at the additional passengers and found them asleep. I could hear their steady breathing and calm heartbeats, so I assumed they were okay.

“Silvaten. This is the district that welcomes everyone. As I said, this is where you can find things you couldn't find in general stores and it's also where homemade things are rampant, so it's personal."

"I see. So uh, why are we here?”

"This is where the person who can help us works. Their restaurant runs from eleven in the morning until eleven in the evening and by this time, they are done with work so Cia can attend to us."

"I see. So uh, do they know that we're coming?"

"Yeah. I called her earlier. She's waiting for us," I looked at him. I tried to remember when he called but came up blank. I wanted to argue but kept it to myself so that when we arrived and she wasn't there, I was ready to cut him with my words.

The restaurant was at the very edge and it was easily recognizable due to its three (or maybe four?) floors of log cabin brilliance. The middle of the building was made of glass but I couldn't see what was inside.

A Japanese-style Zen garden greeted us and I noticed that their parking area was brightly lit. A bridge with a canopy made from flowers connected the parking area to the building and I couldn't help but marvel at the grandeur.

Liam drove towards the back where I saw a petite girl with black hair up in a messy bun supervising elf-like creatures as they placed the garbage outside.

She wore a black short-sleeved collared shirt with red suspenders and a black lap apron. Black jeans were tucked into combat boots and Liam stiffened. I sampled his scent and grinned when I smelled musk coupled with his leather scent.

"So, is she your girlfriend or something?" I teased. I took another sniff.

"Wait, no. Your scent is stronger so...you're still courting?"

"No. She's my...uh, she's my ex."

I didn't say anything after that and he parked beside a huge motorcycle. The sudden stop woke Edmund up and the girl simply watched as we disembarked.

The restaurant was surrounded by a pond. Thanks to the light underwater, I was able to see Koi fish. We walked along another bridge that also had a canopy of flowers that came out from the water. She met us halfway.

"Hello, Liam. Shall I remind you that our operating hours are from eleven in the morning to eleven in the evening?" She asked, her voice high-pitched, but there was no tone of disdain you usually experience with exes (not that I would know since I've never been in a serious relationship before.)

"Yes well, I'm not here to eat, Grace." Liam mused as he stepped aside and revealed Edmund and Victor. Grace raised an eyebrow as she approached us and her scent of oranges came but it wasn't that potent.

"Oh. You need Ciara. I'll call her so you can go directly to the apartment. Servanuli, come!" She ordered and an elf-like creature came immediately.

I looked at it and saw that it was only the size of a toddler with pointed ears and long arms and legs. On its forehead was a rune of servitude and it only wore a simple tunic and some shoes.

It looked healthy and well-cared for and I got envious. Servants are well-cared for here, huh?

"Call Cia and tell her that her hospitality is needed. We're outside at the back." Her voice pulled me out of my thoughts as she sounded mature all of a sudden.

It only took a second after the elf's disappearance before another female popped out of thin air right in front of me.

The potent smell of lemon and lavender infiltrated my nostrils and it made my mind hazy. I looked at her.

Her crimson red hair was up in a ponytail and some strands of her waves framed her round face. Her round-shaped eyes were a vivid grey-green and they were surrounded by long and thick lashes.

She also wore the same clothes as Grace, but instead of combat boots, her shoes were red and white Victorian-style boots.

Her clothes emphasized her broad shoulders, ample chest, and broad hips.

My mouth went dry as I took her in and I licked my lips to regain some moisture.

Maldicidenti, look at those curves. I want to trace them with my-Calum, snap out of it!

I shook those thoughts away and focused on the tree of life tattoo that covered the entirety of her upper left arm. Above the tree of life tattoo was a pair of tribal birds and above the birds was a wheel of runes. From her left hand to her elbow was a lotus mandala tattoo.

On her upper right arm was a tattoo of a steampunk key and on her right hand at her elbow was a tribal moon and wolf tattoo. The ink was indigo and it seemed to move on her skin.

"I'm going in. We still have to clean up the cafe." Grace said, as the other girl simply nodded. Just like that, she vanished.

"Liam, first rule, never come here without letting us know. The second rule is, we don't accept visitors this late at night unless it's urgent." The girl spoke. Her face showed hints of annoyance but when she turned her gaze towards Victor and Edmund, it softened and was filled with worry.

"Oh, dear. Both of you are kind-hearted souls, that much I can say, but your energies…" she took a step towards Edmund, who took a step back. He clutched Victor tighter against his chest.

"It's alright, you can trust me." Her voice was soothing and Edmund's shoulders relaxed. Victor then turned his attention toward her. I watched as her eyes widened but she didn't say anything.

"Figlionee," Victor sputtered. Edmund's eyes widened as well.

"That’s-that's the first word he spoke. What language is that?" He asked as Victor reached out his hands towards her. She looked at Edmund for his permission. He simply nodded.

"Figlionee!" Victor said impatiently. Ciara chuckled before she took him.

"Figlionee!" He continued as he snuggled against her chest. Lucky culooch. I wish I was in his place.

My thoughts were cut off when Ciara started tearing up.

"What is happening?" Liam asked, confused as I was.

"Apologies. I used to have a younger brother but I lost him a few years ago. He was the same age as Victor and if he was still alive, he'd be seventeen, just like you, Edmund," she mused as she blinked the tears away. Edmund's eyes widened in awe.

"How-how did you know my age accurately? And Victor's?" He asked. He took a step forward and towered above Ciara.

"I can read information based on your energy. By the way, my name is Ciara, but please call me Cia."

"Calum. And this is Edmund and Victor but you already know…" I trailed off. She just grinned.

"Nice to meet all of you. Now, shall we go in? It's safer there than here."

*****

Thank you so much for your support and patience! You can see chapter art from the story on my i********:, artbyellysse, or my Deviantart, reza-delavega. Do not forget to leave a comment if you want!