Arkhelios Adventures
Calista Player surveyed her prey with excitement. It had been far too long since she'd had the chance to wander Jubilant Accosts. Everything was going according to plan, including Xexys' tantrum. He was always so predictable.
The old woman she'd been waiting for emerged from the house to water her flowers and Calista saw her chance to strike.
"Mom? Is that you?"
Delicia Lingren dropped the watering can in her hand in shock and stared with disbelief at the sight before her.
"Guthini? Is that you? Has the Watcher returned you to me?"
Delicia had given her son to the Watcher when the Proxy had decreed that Guthini was needed. He was resting with the hallowed dead in the sacred grounds of the Jacobean faith, not standing on the road in front of her.
But it was impossible to deny what she saw. The clothes were a little strange, but it was the same hair, the same eyes...it was a miracle.
"Mom, do what the lady says. You have to-the Watcher needs your help."
Guthini's voice was just how Delicia remembered it. He had always been quieter than the other boys his age, and more sensitive. Perhaps that was why the Watcher had needed him in the first place.
"Lady?" Delicia turned her head in the direction her son was facing. "Oh! I didn't see you there. Hello."
Her words felt awkward, but she was still processing her dead son speaking with her again. Whoever this girl was, she would have to wait for Delicia's brain to catch up. Why was this girl with Guthini anyway? How was any of this happening?
"Hello," Calista replied cheerfully. "I've come to make you an offer. You know how things have changed around here since Xexys decided to throw a tantrum. The Proxy is gone, and outsiders are crossing the border to save their own realm. Men are giving birth, there's a blood demon hybrid down the street-things are changing fast!"
Delicia tried to nod politely, but there was something eerie about this teen. The way she spoke, the way she moved...there was just something off about her. She didn't feel real, though Delicia was conversing with her dead son at the moment, so who knew what was real anymore.
"What's a blood demon hybrid?" Delicia asked curiously. "Is it like the Demon of Nightmares, but with blood? I've never heard of a demon outside of Xexys."
"Ha! I suppose it is a little like Xexys if he was concerned with blood," the girl laughed. The mere sound of her laughter sent a chill into Delicia's bones. "Anyway, your family has served the Watcher faithfully, even giving up your child to him when he asked. What if I told you that the Watcher was willing to reward your devotion? Is there anything that you would want from him? Wealth? Power? Youth?"
"The Watcher couldn't grant a woman as old as I am with youth," Delicia scoffed. This conversation didn't feel real, so why even pretend that such a miracle could happen.
"The Watcher can do whatever he wants. If you want to be a teen again, it can be done. If you want to be a an infant again, sure, why not?"
Delicia's eyes flickered to Guthini. Calista caught this glance and smiled.
"If you want your son back, I can do that. Hell, I can bring anyone back. I could turn your dog into a goat or your baby into a countertop. I just need one little favour from you. The Watcher has a plan for Yacothia."
Lea Lindgren watched her mother in law converse with the air for at least ten minutes. Delicia had gone out to garden, only to hallucinate. Hopefully, their neighbour, Jakobina, wasn't around to witness this moment of weakness. They would never hear the end of it if she had.
"Delicia?" Lea asked gently, walking up behind the older woman. "Are you okay? Who are you talking to?"
Delicia beamed, her face an expression of pure joy Lea never thought she'd see on a woman who had suffered so much.
"The Watcher is going to return Guthini," she exclaimed. "It's a miracle! All I have to do is trust in the Watcher, and do as he asks when the time comes!"
Lea pulled away from her mother in law, searching her face for any sign of fever or delirium.
"The Watcher told you this just now? Delicia, you were talking to the air! There was no one there. Besides, the Proxy is gone and the Jacobeans are in shambles. Perhaps this was just a trick of the Demon of Nightmares meant to lead you into his web of lies. Come inside, and I'll make you some tea. We can try to talk through this."
Delicia shook her head adamantly.
"This was real," she promised Lea. "Guthini is coming back. The Watcher is going to destroy Yacothia and remake it as he pleases, and then Guthini will come back. All I have to do is accept his plan, and follow the commands of someone called the Dream Guardian."
Lea smiled weakly, while ushering her mother in law towards the house where her words wouldn't be overheard by the neighbours.
"Okay. That sounds very interesting, Delicia. Did the Watcher give you a time when this will happen? A couple of months? A year or two?"
"No, the girl was very clear. This will all happen soon. Very soon."
