~*~

The winged beast, Helehna, took to the skies. She swept through the crowd, talons outstretched, slitting the throats of those imprudent enough to leave their glistening caramel necks un-armored. The handful of men that carried bows readied their aim and loosed – an arrow found its mark, punching a fresh hole through her wing. Unfazed, she plunged onto the lucky archer, dug her talons into his shoulders, ripped him from his feet, and used his body to shield the incoming volley – one-two; his flailing body caught the arrows meant for her – three-four-five; skin split around the arrowheads, stretching and rupturing as the barbed points disappeared beneath the body’s surface and blood welled, running along the wood in thin crimson lines before dripping to the ground – six-seven; lengths of entrails scattered about as Helehna whipped around what remain of the limp amputee. And then – no more arrows flew, as there were none left to fly. She cast the corpse into a heap of horse dung.

Helehna landed amongst the crowd and, using her scythe-like claws, swayed back and forth, cutting men down like wheat in a field and piling them up in bundles. She continued her prowl through the scattering herd, searching for the next quarry.

~*~

Amid the chaos, the slaves initiated a revolt. They moved as one, smashing shackles apart with rocks and arming one another with any crude tool they could find. A chain snapped tight around a guard’s neck – his life cut off suddenly with a single, panicked, gasp. Another slave drove a rusted spear into his master’s chest and wrenched it free with a cry of rage. He stripped the old man’s gold-plated bracelets and slid them onto his own wrists, laughing hysterically as he admired them. The cracking whips and berating demands dissolved beneath the roar of fighting men and women.

“Run!” Someone shouted. “To the trees!”

The cry consumed the crowd like a wildfire; carriages were overturned, and thrown torches set barrels of brandy ablaze. Slaves broke away in scattered groups, sprinting across the open ground and into the hills lining the forest’s border. Some slaves carried stolen gold and treasures, while others fled empty-handed, dragging the wounded beside them. Some slaves stayed behind, raiding the wagons filled with food. A man slave stuffed his face with cheese and bread and fish, and then a huge ogre slave stuffed his face with the man. Some slaves raided the women. Three men ripped and tore at each other’s throats in their jailor’s carriage as the rapidly spreading blaze devoured it. Misery – everywhere Helentia looked, misery.

~*~

Helentia caught sight of a blindfolded child, no older than Michael, standing alone on the battlefield. A woman draped in chains rushed to the child’s side. Zavck rode through hanging from the side of his horse and snagged a fistful of the woman’s hair. As his fingers tangled into her hair, so did the woman’s legs tangle and then fold and then snap under the stamping hooves stealing her away from the child. Zavck took his stunted blade and hacked through her neck fibers bit by bit until the severed body flopped away. Zavck dismounted and raked his blade through the detached head’s hair, twice, once on each side, wiping off the blood. Then upon reaching the child, he threw the woman’s head aside.

“NO!” Helentia sprang up from his perch and slipped beyond Antham’s extended hand. He charged in a rage down the steep slope before tripping at its sharp base, throwing himself beneath the rearing forelegs of a frightened horse. He rolled away just as the hooves came down and scurried to an overturned cart. Pressing his back up against it, he peeked around the corner and watched Zavck positioning his blade’s tip against the little slave’s throat, toying with their little life.

Antham let out a shrill call like a birthing animal. A massive barreling wind parted the angry riot. Men cupped their bleeding ears as they were buffeted backward, their bodies crashing down in waves at Antham’s feet. Helentia clung to the cart railing as the squall bobbed him up and down and ripped his shirt free from his body, snagging it around his head. He scrambled to his feet, fumbling into his shirt, only to stumble over himself and crash into the ground again.

“STAND ASIDE, ZAVCK!” Antham yelled, as he strutted elegantly between the dead like an experienced tightrope walker.

The shout sent birds soaring frantically from the treetops, and halted Zavck’s assault. The silence between Zavck and Antham as they stared at one another drowned out the clash of swords and screams.

After the long moment, Zavck flung his sword into the mud. “You are a slave to that boy...”

A double-headed hammer smashed into the back of Zavck’s head, dropping him like a puppet with its strings cut. Over his twisted body, a hulking man lifted the hammer higher and higher, pausing at the peak – he came down with it – smack. The crushing force drove Zavck’s head into the ground; his body splashed mud everywhere as it convulsed. Again, the hammer came down – Helehna swooped in, tackling the man just before it made impact, and rent his face apart with her claws, tearing each feature off one by one.

Sitting on the now mangled corpse, Helehna cried out to Zavck.

He remained motionless.

~*~

Keeping low, Helentia slithered up to the child. “Are you alright?”

The child nodded. Helentia reached for the blindfold – but the child locked a trembling hand around Helentia’s wrist. “Please, I do not wish to see.”

Helentia let go of the blindfold. “I won’t... I promise.”

“Thank you.”

Helentia observed her in silence, as if waiting for her to say more. “I, uh. I’m Helentia. What’s your name?”

“Eclair,” she said, her voice soft and lilting.

Helentia looked over his shoulder. “Listen Eclair, we need to get out of here, quickly. Can you walk?”

“Yes, but, I’m afraid.”

Helentia put his arm around her. “Don’t be afraid, I am here. No one will ever hurt you again. Hear me?”

Eclair snorted a laugh. “You’re shaking...”

“I’m afraid too.”

Eclair wrapped an arm around Helentia and, finding strength within, took a step forward. “It’s okay, brave boy. I got you.”

~*~

Antham moseyed up to Zavck’s body. He peeled away Zavck’s garment, tearing the scabbed skin fused to the fabric. Large sores audibly seared, and the pale rotting skin bubbled red and bled under the merciless sunlight.

Antham kicked him. “Move.”

Zavck tried abiding, but as soon as he applied pressure to his knee, the bone slipped out of the disintegrating muscle and snapped. He collapsed.

Helehna lifted her forehead from the ground, her hands remaining folded as she unfurled from her prostration. “Master please, you’re killing him.”

“Silence!... Rise, Zavck.”

Zavck’s body fidgeted with faint, nervous agitation.

Helentia eased Eclair down. “Give me one moment, please.” Still, Eclair did not let go; her arms stayed tightly wrapped around Helentia’s shoulders. “I’m coming back... Okay?”

Eclair nodded and let go.

Helentia scooped up a jagged rock and joined Antham and Helehna in standing over Zavck’s body. “Is he already dead?”

“Not y-”

Gripping the rock with both hands, Helentia drove it down into Zavck’s brow. A torrent of blood burst forth from the opening as Helentia pried the rock loose. He raised the rock again – Antham caught Helentia’s wrist. “Helentia!”

Zavck lay there, smiling at them.

Helentia calmed himself and loosened his grip on the rock.

Antham loosened his grip on Helentia’s wrist – Helentia struck again like lightning – and again – and again and again and again. Blood shot in every direction, painting Helentia’s face and soaking Antham’s legs. A crimson mist reached and speckled Helehna.

“ENOUGH!”

Helentia paused to catch his breath.

Zavck’s soupy brain slumbered in his opened skull, like the yolk of a dropped egg nestling in the wreckage of its shell.

Helentia got up. “Well... He would have been sooner or later.”

Helehna hurled herself at Helentia, gouged her nails into his neck, and shoved his face into Zavck’s gory remains like a dog’s nose to shit. “You little monster, look at what you did! You killed him.” She ground Helentia’s face deeper and deeper into the filth, macerating his skin with the viscera. “So, this was your plan from the beginning? To strike us down when we’re weak? Spit it out, boy! Go out with some honesty.”

“Release him, Helehna!”

Helehna’s claw pulled out from Helentia’s neck with visible strain, as if it no longer obeyed her will. “Please, master. This child is nothing but trouble. Allow me to dispose of him.”

Antham roared with fury. “You’ll be in far greater trouble if you harm the boy... Zavck was lost before Helentia had laid a finger on him... Take your discomfort up with me... I let Zavck die.”

“Helentia...” Eclair’s gentle voice rose above the rest, carrying a sweetness that drew everyone’s attention. “Helentia, this is my friend, Dross.”

Blood and flesh and brains adhered to Helentia’s face as he lifted it off the corpse. He looked up to find that what he had assumed to be clouds blocking the sun, was actually a giant man canopied over them.

Eclair stood beside the giant man, hugging an enormous finger with both arms. “This is the man who saved me, Dross. His name is Helentia, and he is super nice.”

The giant man’s smoldering eyes shifted toward Helentia. “Are you alright, child?” The rumbling voice blasted out from its throat like ignited gunpowder. It stood taller than any man Helentia had ever seen and had long grey hair hanging down to its hip. The giant man’s indented bellybutton was so large that Helentia thought if he could climb into it, he’d be safe.

Helentia drew breath to speak and faltered, choking up more of Zavck’s flesh and blood. “Please help me! That bird and evil man are trying to kill me!”

Helehna lunged at Helentia, but before her claws could find him, the giant man swept her into his arms with a grace unusual for his size. “Funny looking bird,” he said, plucking a wing off Helehna’s back.

Helehna writhed. “Master! Please, save me!”

Antham turned away and offered a hand to Helentia and pulled him to his feet. “Are you alright?”

Helentia pushed him off. “Yes, I’m fine.”

The giant man swung his fist into Antham, batting him away like a bothersome gnat. Contorting, Antham pushed through the pain ridden all over his face and picked himself up. He inhaled deeply. Antham’s deafening scream erupted in a shockwave, sending the giant man stumbling back and loosening his grip around Helehna’s body. But Helehna couldn’t slip free before the giant man tripped over himself, slamming into the ground and sending her tumbling into the mud.

Helentia hurried to Eclair and took her hands in his own. “We must go.”

“Helentia, stop!”

Helentia came to an abrupt stop.

Eclair yanked Helentia’s arm so hard the shoulder popped out of its socket. “Helentia, are you okay? I’m so sorry, I uh-”

Frozen in place and shaking, Helentia forced his words through gnashing teeth. “He’s - using — some-” Helentia’s body inched forward “form – of — magic — to-stop me.”

Antham sauntered over. “I thought the two of us were finally seeing eye to eye. You are an embarrassment. I will-”

Antham’s words were drowned out by the giant man’s earthquaking struggle to get back up. “Would you be quie-” Antham turned and veered out of a speeding boulder’s path just in time.

In the center of the flooded hills stood the giant man. Each heavy step he took sent ripples through the countless bodies that blanketed the battlefield. Antham stood facing the giant man, with a wide stance, drawing steady breaths. The giant man charged. Antham unhinged his jaw, opening his throat, and a jet of compressed air detonated from his mouth. The mud split in a straight line all the way to the giant man’s legs and the wind breezed past him. The giant man’s stride closed the distance in a second and carried his foot straight into Antham’s side. He hoisted Antham’s limp body by one leg, leaving him dangling like a ragdoll before tossing him back down into the mud. “Weak man.”

Helentia regained control of his legs, but a surge of pain flared from his shoulder and he winced.

“Helentia, I’m sorry. I was pulling way too hard, and-”

“Come on, let’s get out of here.” Helentia said, squeezing the painful joint. He grabbed Eclair’s hand and ran towards the forest.

Eclair cupped her mouth as she ran alongside Helentia. “Bye, Dross. I’m going with this boy. Thank you.”

Helentia glanced back to see the giant man lift its massive hand, bidding her a silent farewell.

~*~

Helentia and Eclair ran across the scorched hills, watching the last embers of wrath fade with the fire. They reached the forest border and stood before the smoky woods, speechless. Thick charcoal smoke rolled through the branchless pines in slow, pale waves, swallowing them one by one until the woods became an endless gray maze. Helentia walked forward.

Eclair’s hand squeezed tight around Helentia’s.

Helentia turned to her. “My little brother is in there... I won’t force you.”

Eclair sighed. “I already said I was going with you.”

Helentia turned to walk, but she squeezed again, and he let go. “What is it?”

“Sorry, I. In case I don’t get the chance to say this again, or something bad happens to me, or I forget, or something. I just wanted to say... thank you... For saving me...” Silence followed. The moment slipped away, and Eclair’s lips curved into a gentle smile.

Helentia grabbed Eclair’s hand once more, and the two went into the smoke.

“Do you even know where we’re going? We’ve been walking forever.”

Antham gave no response.

Helentia fell silent. Rising onto the balls of his feet, he stalked the back of Antham’s head.

“Thinking of running? Don’t...” Antham twisted his head around, squatted down, and pinched Helentia’s cheek. Tugging at his flesh, Antham lifted him from balls to toes.

“Let go of me.” Helentia, red-faced and rattled, shoved off Antham, breaking his grip.

Antham spat into his palm and forced his fingers through Helentia’s tangled hair. He applied more spit and combed until he could make out Helentia’s eyes. “Wow. You look just like I did as a young boy.” Antham wiped the residual saliva across his own chest.

Helentia looked up at his father. “No, I don’t! I don’t want to look anything like you.”

“Why must you be so cruel?”

“I hate you... Can’t you see that?” Helentia started hyperventilating. Each word uttered was more indistinguishable from the last. “I don’t-want-to—spend—-one—more-minute with you.” His tears sprayed across Antham’s face, drenching it. “I’m so scared and I don’t want to be here anymore. I can’t handle any of this. Please go away, please.”

“You want me to go?”

“I just want to be free.”

“Are you sure it’s freedom you desire, son? Have you not been free your entire life? Free from a father. From my gavel, my fist. Free from your mother’s love. Free to make your own world without a shield to depend on. No. In truth, you desire chains. Rules, regulations, a blindfold to hide from the freedom of life’s fears and anxieties. You rebel against what you want most... To be a slave. You want orders to cling to. You dwell on every little mistake and misfortune. You use your mother to keep your mind occupied. Your mother tried occupying her mind with you. A child, you were her version of freedom. She tried to be free... Now she’s dead.”

Helentia swept away the tears with the base of his thumb.

“It’s important you deal with this.”

Helentia choked up a scoff. “I shouldn’t have to deal with any of this.”

Antham caressed Helentia’s plump cheek. “I know... Listen, the truth is, things will not get easier. At least not for a while... And yes, I know I’m partly responsible for your anguish. Helentia, I’m-” Antham yanked Helentia behind a thick spiraled tree with oval shaped protruding roots.

“Wha-”

Antham put a hand over Helentia’s mouth.

‘What is it? What’s going on?’ Helentia tried asking aloud, but his words were completely muffled underneath Antham’s gangly fingers.

Antham pressed his lips to Helentia’s ear and whispered. “Shush, close your eyes and listen. Tell me what you hear?”

Behaving, Helentia closed his eyes and slowed his breath. For a moment, there was nothing but the faint sound of branches swaying in the wind... And then, a single step — snap; a twig. Another step — crunch, boots shifting through the dry leaves. It stopped. Helentia opened his eyes. “I heard it! Someone’s out there.”

Antham squeezed Helentia’s cheeks. “Quiet.”

Again, another step — closer now. Helentia’s breathing got heavier as he waited for something to jump at them from the darkness. Antham’s grip tightened. The entity did not move, and the silence felt alive. It was on the other side of the tree... Helentia held his breath and gripped his father’s arm. His face turned blue, and then, right as he was about to pass out, he heard a leather belt unbuckle and fall to the forest floor. A stream of piss splattered against the tree. The hot pee pooled at the base of the roots, and it trickled down onto Helentia’s feet. The man sighed in relief, tied up his tunic, and walked back the way he came.

Helentia gasped to catch his breath. “Eww, what was it?”

Antham chuckled. “Piss.”

“I know that! Who was the guy?” Helentia said, as he shook off the golden liquid.

“A good question.” Antham scratched his fair ivory chin. “I only got a brief look at him as he walked away, but based on his utter cluelessness, and the fact he would relieve himself out in the open, tells me he lacks basic survival instincts.”

Helentia rolled his eyes. “We should follow him and ask him if he knows the way out.”

“We’ll keep our distance and go around. If he does know the way, following him should lead us out regardless. No sense inadvertently alerting others to our position.”

Helentia scuffed his foot through the grass.

“Come, Helentia.”

“One second, almost dry.”

One second passed.

Antham groaned. “He’s getting away.”

“Alright, calm down! I’m coming.”

~*~

Helentia pulled himself up onto a large fallen tree. “It’s simple if you know where to look. This tree, for example, must have been obstructing his way, so he cut it down. Or maybe he needed wood, for a fire?”

Antham strode over, reached up, and lifted Helentia by the waist with ease, before carefully placing him back down on the ground. “Not quite. The tree is much too large.” Antham knocked on the bark. “It would take at least two men to fell this... More likely a storm blew this over. You can tell by the way the wood splintered. Try again, and remember, you can’t rely on obvious clues.”

Helentia ran ahead and pointed to footprints sunken in the muddy path.

“Sloppy.”

The mournful call of a goat’s horn blew in the distance. Antham and Helentia exchanged a brief glance. Reaching an unspoken understanding, both raced through the wood in the direction of the blare.

Antham leapt over a grazing deer. “Don’t think for a second you can beat me there.”

“Shut up.”

They ascended a great grassy hill on the forest’s border. Helentia grimaced at a sharp cramp coursing through his quadriceps as he trudged upward. When he reached the top, a yawn slipped out as the weight of the previous night caught up with him.

“Look at you.” Antham clapped as he strolled behind. “Fast for your age. How old are you now?”

Helentia, leaning over and out of breath, brushed back his disheveled and sweat-soaked hair. “I beat you.”

“Good jo-.”

“Look.”

Hills upon hills, frosted with tulips. Every color he’d ever seen in nature and a few he hadn’t. Accompanied with sparse trees filled with equally colorful birds. Big sharp boulders standing like the teeth of an enormous monster. A rushing stream, right down the middle.

“Beautiful.” Antham said, still lagging behind. “Does it smell like piss up here to you?”

Again, the howling horn. Turning their attention to the horizon, they could see shadowy figures of all shapes and sizes, backlit with the northwestern sun, speckling the hills. The great army descended into the valley.

~*~

The party was led by dozens of men on horseback. Tucked beside each horse were men on foot. Men carrying great brass shields reaching eight feet in height brandished even greater spears. Men with swords, short and long, some with scabbards, some without, carried more appropriately sized shields, with sigils, all kinds. Men with bows, some cross. None of the party’s armor matched. Each accessorized their own taste; it was clear. Deprived and emaciated men, women, and monsters hobbled behind, blinded with muddied rags and dragged by ropes and chains. All in the company of prisoners were beaten as they walked, by whips and sharpened sugarcane. Twelve slaves, six to a row; their raw hands gripped thick blistering rope, heaving a large wooden catapult. Six twelve-foot giants, lugged wagons filled with gold, foods, and weapons, all likely stolen. The group left behind a wound of trampled grey mud through the green hills, like a bottle of ink spilled on a fresh sheet of paper.

~*~

Helentia and Antham lay low along the hill’s grassy slope, watching the army below. Helentia watched as a slave collapsed face-first into the mud. Without breaking his stallion’s stride, one of the men-at-arms thrust his spear through the back of the fallen slave’s head.

The nauseating sight held Helentia captive, unable to look away. “Who are those people?”

“Not people anymore... At least, not regarded as such... Who were they before? Probably what’s left of a nearby settlement... Well, I’ve seen enough.” Antham crept backwards on his hands and knees, rising only when he was out of sight. “Come, Helentia.”

Helentia’s stomach sank. “Wait, they. They’re headed towards the forest.”

“Yes, we are very lucky to have missed them. Now come along, we don’t want to be spotted.”

Helentia looked back over his shoulder at Antham, hesitation in his eyes. “But Michael is in the forest...”

Antham pursed his lips. “Who is Michael?”

Helentia’s heart rate rose. A single sweat bead slid down his forehead as the world stopped around him. In an instant, he felt feverish.

~*~

Antham guided his hands to Phia’s waist, tenderly. He shoved her backside against the wall.

“Careful, my love. You’ll knock over the baby.”

Antham and Phia looked down at Helentia as he stared up at them from his wooden cradle. Mom and dad shared a kiss.

Antham smiled. “Let’s have another.”

Phia laughed. “Another? We’re barely getting by with just the three of us.”

Antham’s thumb lingered as it traced along Phia’s neck. “We’ll make it work. We always figure something out.”

Phia swerved Antham’s encroaching kiss. She looked down at baby Helentia with disgust slathered all over her face.

~*~

“Helentia?... Is everything alright?”

Helentia stood up and nodded reluctantly.

“Well? Who is that? Who is Michael?”

“He... He is...”

Antham tapped his foot. “Spit it out.”

“He’s my...”

“Your?”

“My... brother.”

“Your... brother?”

“Yes, my brother.”

Antham squinted; the strain fixed for several uncomfortable seconds.

Helentia scratched at his forearm. “So, we are going back for him?”

With unreadable intention, Antham analyzed Helentia. “No, I don’t think so.”

Helentia furrowed his brow. “But... He’ll die.”

“That’ll do.”

Helentia made a small, frustrating huff. “Please... Listen to what I’m saying. When they find him, they will kill him.”

Antham turned and walked away, leaving Helentia behind. “There’s no time.”

“Wait, no! Michael, we’re coming.” Helentia latched onto Antham’s leg. “STOP. Please... please stop. We need to save my little brother, please... I’m staying.”

Antham walked on, unimpeded, as Helentia’s body scraped across the uneven terrain.

“Please... It’s Michael. He’s alone. PLEASE.” Helentia’s head bobbed up and down and dashed against the side of a rock. “Please... Dad... If you love me. You will do this for me, please. He’s my only brother.”

Antham halted. “Get up... I said get up!”

Helentia scrambled to his feet. Antham squared his shoulders and looked down at Helentia. He followed Helentia’s flicking eyes as they refused to make contact. “You care deeply about this... Michael. You are familiar with him. You know him and therefore cheer for him. So, you’d have me... what? Stop these people? You’d have me save him?... LOOK AT ME.” Helentia’s spine seized up; his eyes met his father’s. “Do you know the cost? You love him and what? Is he more important?”

“He’s important to me...”

Antham ogled Helentia. “I understand... Zavck... Helehna... Come forth.”

Right beside Helentia, a black hoof phased into sight, revealing the rotting ankle of a horse, followed by the calf, the knee, the leg. The cloaked rider who killed Phia fully imagined now, sat atop his half skeletal steed. The rider’s crooked and pointed teeth poked out of the concealing shadows that surrounded its sinister smile and glowing eyes. On Helentia’s other side, the bird-like monster from his bedroom hovered over the ground without flapping its frayed wings.

Antham stretched an arm out; the wingspan of his single arm alone was longer than Helentia’s full body and hair. He pointed towards the army. “Kill them all.”

~*~

Helentia wandered aimlessly through the wooded labyrinth. He stopped when a foul stench wafted past his nose. The hot, stinky, waves distorted the air. He followed the smell of death like a dog, gagging with each step. Over a small hill he found a small lake with a small inlet surrounded by large trees. The smell was unbearable. He dipped his mud crusted toes into the cool glassy lake and watched the dirt particles as they dispersed. A fish leapt out of the water. The sun reflected a rainbow off its elegant scales before it vanished without a splash. Helentia smiled.

“Oh lovely, it’s you.”

Helentia turned his head and saw the two headed wolf from before. The wolf stood in the water looking at him, and then down at the water, and then back at him. “What are you doing here?”

“Excuse you, I live in this forest.” It looked down again.

Helentia stared at the dead head’s eye hanging from the tissue and jerking around with each subtle movement. “Are you going to cut that off?”

The wolf’s nose crinkled. “I was waiting for it to fall off... naturally.”

Helentia continued to stare at it.

“Quit staring... I said quit staring!”

Helentia plugged his nose. “It stinks.”

The wolf looked back at the water’s surface. “I know. It reeks. I haven’t been able to catch a single thing all day. All thanks to you.”

Helentia shook his head in agreement. “That makes sense.”

“Alright boy, what are you doing?”

Helentia shrugged, “I don’t know.”

“No luck finding your brother?”

“I foun-.”

The wolf dived face first into the water and pulled up a mouth full of soggy sticks and stones.

“Psh… sorry, you were saying?”

“I found him.”

“And?”

“Fought him... said some things I can’t take back. Now I don’t know what to do. I feel rotten inside... Oh, sorry I didn’t mean it lik-.”

“Hey kid, no need to apologize, okay? I get it. I don’t blame you. I fought with my brother every day. We were connected at birth, forced to be together. I hated him. We used to scour the world searching for a witch with a magic spell to separate us. He used to beg at night when he thought I was asleep that I’d wake up dead, and I’d do the same in the mornings. I was a fool back then. I can’t picture a world without him now... And yet there’s no world with him. Don’t let this little mistake you made turn into two. Go back to your brother and set things right.”

Helentia sighed. “It’s too late.”

“Please... swallow your pride and apologize, I’m sure the little guy won’t hold it against you.”

Helentia grinded his teeth. “You don’t get it; I put my hands on him... again.”

“You killed my twin... Whatever you did to your brother, don’t make it the last time.”

~*~

Helentia and the wolf stepped out of the lake and sat down at the water’s edge. Both admired the view in silence.

“Do you have a name?”

The wolf snickered. “My brother used to call me stupid.”

“How about Wolfie?”

“You’re joking.”

Wolfie’s ears twitched at the sound of rustling behind one of many large weeping oaks fencing them in. They both jumped up and turned to face the noise. Helentia held his breath. All of a sudden... a small bunny hopped out of the bushes. Helentia approached the fuzzy bunny and bent down to pet it. “You scared me, little guy.”

“Hello, my son.”

Helentia screamed at the top of his lungs. Antham was standing right behind him. Helentia swung at his father, but Antham caught his wrist. “Calm thyself.”

The wolf darted off into the woods.

“Let go!”

Antham raised a hand over his son like he was giving a blessing. “Relax.”

Helentia could feel his heartbeat recess.

“I will not harm you, I promise.”

Helentia pulled his arm out of Antham’s grasp. “Leave me alone.”

“Please, Helentia, there is much to speak about.”

“No, I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.”

“Listen!”

Helentia was silent and still. He could not blink, and his ears dripped wax.

“Listen son, I am sorry our reunion couldn’t be under better circumstances. I am sorry for the loss of your mother. You must forgive me. Sometimes, actions are taken without resolve, bystanders can be killed in the pursui-”

“Bystanders?... Murdered! That was Mom, in case you forgot to look down as you were stepping over her mutilated corpse.”

“I have not forgotten!” A great wind circled the two; it joined the surrounding logs and leaves and created a dangerous barrier; it grew more aggressive parodying Antham’s emotion. “...Nor will I... I cared for her deeply... Much deeper than she cared for you.”

Helentia pointed directly at his father. “You let your lackey smear mother’s blood all over our house.”

“Enough!” All the small rocks and twigs, dead leaves and moss-covered sticks; and even a few worms began to rise off the ground as Antham inhaled. As he breathed out, they rested again, and the storm settled. “All that has conspired today has been ordained as such. Did you love the woman?”

“I accepted the love I was shown. She was there for us when Michael and I were sick, or hungry.”

“You loved her?”

“I tried to... I really did. I could touch her. I could feel her warm smile when she showed it. I felt every slap on my hand, every smack on my head. Every well-deserved belt to my ass and every unwarranted one. She wasn’t pretty with how she loved, but she loved, at least in her own way. I was content. I stopped praying that you’d come back to me. Stopped hoping... stopped wishing you’d come back with all the right reasons for leaving. I grew up... And now. You do come back. But you don’t bring love. You don’t... bring answers. You bring misery. You had robbed me of a real childhood; you left us with nothing. Now you take my nothing too.”

Antham lowered his head. “I’m sorry I gave you a mother like that. What you lack in affection surely is outweighed in resilience. If you’re asking me to beat you though, I will respectfully decline.”

“How dare you. Now you try to defame her. She wasn’t perfect; she was available. She didn’t deserve death.”

“Death comes for us all, my boy. While we may hope to die old in our beds, the grand scheme plucks us all eventually. Your mother wasn’t long for this world. I am simply here to collect my son before some monster, or some sickness, does.”

“You’re the monster... And you’re sick.”

“You know not of the horrors that plague this world. Now come along; I am not to be trifled with.”

“I will not go with you.”

“Would you prefer a leash like your dog friend?”

“I prefer you die.”

“SILENCE!... Clearly, your mother didn’t teach you respect. Know this, I would sooner gut my wife again than lay a hand on you boy, and my hand twitches with every word from your mouth. Choose your words carefully and I might let you exercise speech.”

Helentia nodded.

“Good... Follow me, we are going.”

“I must have hit my head pretty hard,” Helentia muttered as he picked up his carved wooden figurine and shook the mud from its splintered hair. “Antham found himself in the middle of a great battlefield. Much of the grass had been stomped away, and the trees left as blackened stumps. Scorched barricades remained steadfast, and decomposing soldiers clutched shredded banners flying the enemy sigil.”

“Totally amazing.”

“Shush, say your line.”

“Get to your feet, quickly,” Michael screamed.

Helentia picked up a soldier on a horse and pretended to gallop it towards them. He raised the soldier’s large battleaxe and smashed the two toys together. “As Antham attempted to roll out of the way, the axe’s swing carved a large chunk of flesh from his right calf. He thrust his sword into the earth and lifted himself with his freshly wounded leg.”

“It’s so violent.”

“Just wait for this next part.” Helentia snatched the toy from Michael’s hands. “Aaron removed an arrow from his quiver and, with the slightest twitch of his finger, sent it barreling through the air at such speeds the sound just about punctured Antham’s eardrums as it swooshed by.”

“The arrow hit the hors-”

“Not gruesome enough.” Helentia cut him off, “The arrow plunged deep into the horse’s eye. Blood spurted from its mouth. The animal came down at full speed, tumbling and twisting into a mess of bone and muscle. The momentum threw the rider from his saddle, caving in his helmet on impact.” Helentia threw the figure from the horse and into the mud. “He stumbled into a charge, waving his axe wildly overhead, and loosed a final battle cry as blood poured from where the dent in his helmet had pressed into his skull.”

Michael closed his eyes as if Helentia’s words came to life around him. “Gross.”

“Are you watching?”

“Yes.”

“Aaron fastened his bow to his belt. He deserves a quick death; he fought with honor.” “I shall grant it,” Helentia had Antham respond as he walked him towards the fallen soldier. “The soldier froze in fear at the sight of Antham’s extraordinary physique, standing over seven feet with shoulders as wide as a wheelbarrow. Antham stopped and watched the dying soldier choke on his missing teeth.

“Kill m-,” before he could finish a word, Antham forced a bear sized fist into the helmet, causing it to further press on his brain.”

“Michael? You aren’t watching.”

“Sorry, it’s so scary. Where do you come up with all this stuff?”

“This is another one of dad’s adventures.”

A few seconds of silence passed.

“Helentia... Do you think I’ll get to meet dad one day?”

A chill wind rushed through the grass.

“Boys, dinner is ready.”

~*~

Helentia regained consciousness. His brain pulsed and pushed against his skull. Warm, fishy-smelling breaths hit his face, and the sound of deep snoring resounded throughout his chest. A large bear, standing upright like a man, cradled him like a cub. The giant fuzzy paws swaddled his small body, and he dozed off.

~*~

Helentia awoke again midair and fell on his face. “Why did you do that?”

The bear took a seat on a big boulder next to him and cleaned itself with its enormous tongue.

“Are you listening to me? Hello?” Helentia shifted his attention to his surroundings. There was a dusty rug, a few tin cups, some ripped up books, and a small couch, all lit up by an old lantern hanging from a dangling rope. Stalactites oozed murky water and the walls curved like waves. As he surveyed the shadows, he was startled by many clomping feet reverberating from deep within. He began inching more into the light when a sleuth of bear cubs sprinted out from the dark and flattened him, trampling him under their furry bodies. “Get off. Get off me!” The young bears buried their noses in Helentia’s clothing and licked him all over; some playfully bit him. “Quit it!” Helentia giggled. A smaller hairless bear pushed its way through the horde, but it wasn’t a bear at all; it was Michael. “Michael? What are you doing?”

“Helentia, it’s you. It’s really you?” Michael bit him.

“Get the hell off of me!”

Michael and the cubs retracted. Helentia shuffled to his feet, but Michael leaped into his brother’s arms and hugged him, knocking him back on his ass. “I’m so glad you’re here. Where’s Mom?”

Helentia shoved his brother in haste. “I don’t know.”

“She said she was going to find you.”

Helentia dusted himself off. “What?... What are you saying, Michael?

“Mom said she was going to return with you.”

“Return with me? Here? Where did you see her?”

“She was here a little while ago.”

Helentia grabbed Michael by the shoulders and shook them. “This doesn’t make any sense to me. Mom was here? When? Why?”

“I told you a second ago. I don’t know why she brought me here. You never believe m-.”

“She brought you here? Impossible. Couldn’t have been her.”

“It was Mom, I’m telling you. She always said, never go with a strang-”

“She was at the house.” Helentia said aloud.

Michael clasped Helentia’s forearm with both hands. “You see her?”

Helentia stuttered, “N-no.”

“Do you know where Mom is?”

“No.”

“Is Mom okay?”

Helentia pulled his arm away. “I told you I don’t know!”

Michael sported a pout. “Alright, I believe you. Please don’t ever leave me. I’m scared. She said I was in danger.” Michael rested his head on Helentia’s stained shirt.

“I won’t! And we’ll be fine, trust me.”

“I’m worried about her.”

Helentia pulled away once more. “Michael.”

“I’m sorry. Do you really think she’s all right?”

“I said I don’t know!”

“You’re making me cry, brother.”

“I’m sorry, Michael, I’m just confused.”

“Why, did you see her?”

“No!”

Michael began to cry. The mama bear got off her rock and rested a paw on Michael’s forehead. He dried his tears in her fur while the babies surrounded him and rubbed their bodies against him.

“Michael, we need to get out of here.”

Michael sprung out of his depression. “Let’s go find mom.”

“No!”

Michael scoffed, “Then I’m not leaving.”

“We’re leaving.” Helentia took Michael’s wrist and dragged him across the rocky floor.

“Helentia, stop!”

The bear set a paw on Michael’s leg with enough weight to immobilize him. The sudden inertia caused Helentia to trip over his own feet. “Let go!”

The bear growled in a deep tone.

Michael slapped at Helentia’s hand. “I don’t want to leave.”

“We’re going.”

“No, Stop it!... I don’t like you when you’re like this, brother. Mom told me to stay here till she got back, and that’s all I’m going to do.”

Helentia released his grip. “Let’s forget her and run away.”

Michael got up and backed away, rubbing his wrist. “What? No.”

“Think about how much fun it will be. No more nap time, no more bath time. You and I traveling the world? Mom could hardly balance the two of us. The more I think about it, she barely watched over us at all. Let’s live the adventures we would act out in the yard. I honestly wouldn’t mind not seeing her anymore. She never once felt like a mother to me.”

Michael took a few more steps back. “What are you saying, Helentia? I love Mom.”

“I don’t. I don’t even feel sad that she’s gone. I don’t need a guardian to boss me around. I’m glad she’s not here.”

Michael’s mouth was agape. “I’m waiting for mom to get back.”

“No, you’re not!” Helentia lunged forward, seizing Michael by the hair. “You’re going to listen to me because I’m your older brother.”

“Stop it, stop it. You’re hurting me.”

Helentia smacked Michael across the cheek. “Shut... up.”

The bear’s cubs cowered behind their mother’s legs, and the mama fixated her eyes on the boys.

Helentia pushed Michael to the ground and straddled him. “You either come with me, or you die - alone in this cave.”

“I’m staying.”

Helentia choked Michael blue. A kick to the stomach weakened Helentia’s grip, and Michael tried rolling out from under him before Helentia restrained both of his wrists above his head and whispered to him. “We don’t need her anymore.”

The mama bear rose to her hind legs and stood over the boys. Her maternal presence triggered Helentia’s body to shrink in submission. He let go and got up from Michael, breathed in deep, exhaled with anger, and walked towards the exit.

Michael, holding back tears, echoed throughout the chamber, “I’m waiting here for Mom! Okay?”

“Mom is dead.”

Helentia left the cave.

“She’s dead, my liege.”

Antham knelt beside his wife’s body and laid a hand on her shoulder. “Dearly beloved, may thy spirit find rest in the next.”

Helentia’s vision blurred. He reached for anything to steady himself but found nothing and collapsed.

“Arise, my son.” Antham’s thunderous voice boomed; the words surged through Helentia’s core, jolting him back to life.

Getting to his hands and knees, Helentia gasped for words.

“I know this is a lot for you, so don’t speak.” Antham advanced.

Helentia’s soul recoiled out of the room faster than his flesh could abide.

~*~

In one heartbeat he was in the hallway; with a second beat he felt taller; by the third his eyes narrowed - the fourth skipped.

~*~

‘Michael, I have to get to Michael.’ Helentia barged through their bedroom door, and it slammed behind him. “Michael.” He ripped off the quilt from the lump on Michael’s bed, revealing a pillow, but no Michael. A knock at the door froze his spine.

“Helentia, it’s your father. May I come in?”

“No.”

An apparition smashed through the bedroom window, materialized as a featherless, bird-like demon, and clutched Helentia’s jugular with its large claws. The monster’s grotesque charcoal skin flaps dangled in front of Helentia’s eyes with a hypnotic sway. It wrenched Helentia to its forked tongue and ran it across his cheek. “Where do you think you’re going, child?”

“You’re hideous.” Helentia spat in its face.

The beast threw Helentia away and wiped the saliva from its double-lidded eyes. Helentia crawled only a stride away before the beast stomped on his head and began mashing it into the splintered wood floor. “You little shit, I’m going to enjoy watching those-” the beast bit its bottom lip, “-delicious little eyes of yours pop right out of your skull.” It pressed a talon into Helentia’s face and took its time scratching a cut down the length of it. Blood dripped from his eye to his chin as the beast finished its work.

“Don’t lay another finger on the boy.” Antham’s command blew through the door and ruptured the beast’s eardrums; blood seeped from the canals. Antham picked up the door and set it back on its hinges. He knocked again. “Helentia, I’m coming in now.” Antham entered.

“Master, why? Have I upset you?”

“Be gone.”

The beast’s body flew through the wall and into the room behind it.

“Are you hurt, my son?” Antham reached out and pulled Helentia to his feet.

“Get your hands off of me.” Helentia said, squirming to free himself.

Antham’s grip tightened. “Settle down, you’re safe.”

“I don’t feel safe, let me go.”

Antham released his grip.

Helentia backed into the corner of the room.

“It’s going to be okay, my son. Please, I’m here to help.”

Helentia flailed his arms. “Get away from me, I don’t want to die.”

“I will not harm you. You have my word.”

Helentia went for the broken window above his bed.

“Where do you plan on going? There are worse things out there.”

Helentia crawled onto the bed and over the shattered glass strewn about it, leaving shards imbedded in his skin like feathers on glue. He winced - and looked his father dead in the eye. “There is nothing worse than you.” He threw himself out of the window.

~*~

Helentia bawled while he sprinted down the hill. He stopped at the base of the hill and looked up at the house. The moonlight reflected off the head of Michael’s toy soldier poking out of the grass. ‘Michael, where are you?’ He looked down at the dark forest in front of him. Fireflies beamed their butts in unison creating a runway of flashing breadcrumbs leading into the dark.

~*~

The dense brush choked the trees; their knees wrapped with sticker vines. Helentia weaved through the bramble, navigating between the sharp animal bones and skulls littering the mud. The thick insulating wood of the swamp trapped the hot gases, creating an inescapable intense heat. He repeatedly wiped at his profusely sweating brow. Knee deep in the mud, he felt something graze his ankle. He squatted down. Neck deep, he reached for it and pulled it up. A strapless sandal. ‘This is Michael’s.’ With the help of a nearby vine, he hoisted himself out of the mud and onto an island of roots. “Michael... Michael where are you?”

“Be quiet, foolish child.”

Helentia scanned the surrounding foliage. “Hello?”

“It would be wise to hold your tongue. This forest is sanctuary to many... bigger monsters.”

“I can’t see you, show yourself.”

“Down here.”

Helentia tilted his head to the ground.

A small frog was staring back at him. The Frog hopped over. “I am not threatening you child; I am worried for your safety-ribbit.”

“I need to find my little brother, have you seen him? Please Mr. Frog, he’s in danger.”

The Frog crossed his webbed arms. “My name is not Mr. Frog... little boy-ribbit.”

“Who are you calling little? You’re just a stupid little frog.”

The Frog closed his eyes. “Stupid little human will argue with anything, even frog-ribbit.”

“I’m not stupid. Now tell me where Michael is.”

The Frog smirked. “Even if the great Frobert the Third did know where stupid little human’s stupid little brother was, I need an apology-rib - bit.”

Helentia stomped on Frobert the Third.

“Are you going to eat that?”

Helentia looked over his shoulder and saw an owl perched on a branch. “I, uh... don’t think so.”

The owl swooped down from his branch and left a half-grown spotted feather gliding behind as it snatched up the frog’s head and orbited Helentia.

“Hey owl, do you know where Michael is?”

“Don’t talk to me.”

~*~

Helentia went deeper into the forest. The further he journeyed, the thick brush dissipated, freeing the moonbeams to shoot between the lonely pines. Every ray of light culminated on a dilapidated cabin that was a good distance ahead. ‘I swear that wasn’t there before. Maybe Michael is hiding inside.’ He ran as fast as he could but came to a screeching halt when he saw only the cabin’s facade still standing. The roof was completely caved in by an uprooted tree, and the rubble since overtaken by a thick moss. He picked up a twig and chucked it. “I hate you, forest. I hate you, dad. Where is Michael? I want this nightmare to end.” He stomped and he kicked, and he swung his foot into a pile of leaves. “Ouch.” Thrashing away the leaves, he uncovered an old painting. The image was of a family - two boys and their dad. “Not a funny joke... not at a-.” His eyes welled with tears. “Why? What have I done to deserve this? I’ve lost everything.” The tears soaked into the painting, leaving smudges wherever they landed. He looked closer at the two boys; the older one had his arm around the other. “Oh Michael, where are you?”

“Don’t cry, little boy.”

“Yeah, don’t cry.”

The painting slipped from Helentia’s fingers.

“I think you’ve frightened him.”

“Was it something I said?”

A two headed wolf stalked behind Helentia. It stood two heads taller than him, but he did not flinch.

“Hey wolf, do you know where my brother is?”

“Fearless.” The wolf wagged its tail.

“What did I tell you about wagging my tail?”

“Use your, two legs... and take a hike.”

“I’m serious, we agreed that’s mine. I traded eating breakfast and dinner for tail exclusivity.”

“Unfair, a single tail wag is far superior to any flavor profile.”

“We agre-.”

“Do you know where my brother-”

“Silence.”

“We ate him, boy.”

The wolf paced circles around him.

“You smell like a yummy snack.”

The other head sniffed at him. “Not as yummy as... his little brother.” It bared its teeth and licked them.

“I wouldn’t joke around about things like that.” Helentia maintained eye contact as he crouched down and pulled a sharp piece of lumber from the wreckage.

“Are you not afraid? Come on, not even the slightest quiver?”

“Stupid.”

Helentia blinked and the wolf pounced. He sidestepped, leaving the left head with only a mouthful of air, while the right found his forearm, sunk its teeth in, tore off a chunk, then immediately sunk back in. With his free arm, Helentia plunged his weapon through the left head’s eye socket and into its brain. The head fell limp. The right head, eyes wide and quaking, slowly loosened its bite. His arm fell limp.

Helentia squeezed his bleeding wound. “I warned you.”

The wolf’s ears stiffened. “You’re a vile boy.”

Helentia returned a dead-eye stare.

The wolf panted. “I guess we picked the wrong fight today,” it said, side-eying its other half.

“Where is Michael?”

“Shivers. Alright boy, you are the victor. Just watch your back.”

A large paw in Helentia’s peripheral contacted his temple. He was airborne for a few moments before everything went dark.

~*~

Phia stepped back from the window and breathed deep. She massaged thick oils into the cracks of her calloused hands, tied back her ratty hair with some butcher’s twine, and yanked her apron flush with her hips. Dampening a tattered towel, she worked the floorboards and baseboards, the tabletop and chairs, and even the worn edges of the doorframes her two sons marked with their muddied hands. Everywhere they went, she followed behind, scrubbing away the messes, and the memories left inside. When suppertime approached, she moved on from her chores and filled a large pot with salted water on the oven. The hissing and bubbling drowned out the world beyond, as she diced whatever vegetables the barren land and her meager garden deigned to provide. She sliced unripe potatoes and day-old beef scraps into thin strips and cast them in. A splash from the boil burned her skin. In a matter of minutes, the stew was finished.

~*~

Phia opened the back door, closed her eyes, exhaled, and basked in the sunlight. “Boys, dinner is ready!”

Helentia threw his sibling’s favorite toy into the dirt. “Good, I’m hungry.”

“Don’t treat Antham that way,” Michael said, picking up the toy soldier.

Phia’s breath shallowed. “Antham?”

“Like dad.”

The color drained from her face. She forced the corners of her mouth into half a smile. “Yes, of course.” Clearing her throat, she went on, “Hurry along, Michael. I need to speak with your brother for a moment. He’ll be right behind you.”

Michael eyed Helentia, who scowled at the ground with folded arms. “Yes, ma’am.” He scampered off.

“Helentia?” Phia craned her neck downward to meet her son’s avoidant eyes. She sighed. “Helentia, what did you tell him?”

“He should know his dad’s name.”

“That’s-”

“How could you not tell him!? It’s like you’re trying to make us forget. Well, I won’t. If dad were still here-”

“He’s not here. Believe me when I say you are enough trouble. What’s done is done. Just don’t disappoint your little brother. For whatever reason, he looks up to you.”

Helentia grunted and stormed off.

~*~

The setting sun bathed the tablecloth in radiant gold as Phia set the table. She brought three empty bowls to the kitchen; two she filled to the top, and the third with a single scoop. Returning to the dining room, she found the boys still absent. The sun was lower now, its radiant glow turned blood red. She laid the bowls down, lowered into her seat, and buried her face in her arms.

~*~

“I can’t reach it!” Michael whined. His cry carried through the thin cabin walls and stung Phia’s ears.

Phia stood up, let out a quiet sigh, and made her way to the kitchen window.

Michael was teetering on his tiptoes and stretching toward the well rope just beyond his reach. Helentia moseyed over to the well, hauled up a full bucket of water, and washed his hands.

Helentia lifted Michael up. “Be quick about it. I’m starving.”

Michael’s hands skimmed the surface and Helentia lowered him. “I need more.”

“Forget it.”

“Mom said-”

“Never mind that, just dry off.”

“You be nice to that boy now. He’s all you’ve got,” Phia shouted.

Helentia slapped Michael’s hand aside and lifted him once more. This time, Michael’s hands plunged beneath the surface, churning the water and sending it splashing over them both.

“Careful.”

“Okay, all done.”

Helentia lowered him. “I’ll race you.”

Before Michael could turn toward the door, Helentia swept his ankle out from under him, sending him crashing hard to the ground.

“Hey, that’s not fair.”

Helentia stuck his tongue out. “Don’t be such a sore loser.”

~*~

The dining room was dark now. Helentia pulled out his dad's old chair and took a seat on his mother's left. Michael skipped in, sparkling clean, and sat to her right. Phia lit a beeswax candle in the center of the table and, joining hands, the three sang a few words together.

~*~

“Through the thick and the thin, you protected us then. Watch over us now as the day becomes dim. Hold our hearts in your loving arms and keep us safe from all bodily harm.”

~*~

Phia opened her eyes and looked at Helentia. “Would you like to add anything?”

Michael raised his hand. “I would. Thank you for the best mom and big brother in the whole world.”

Phia smiled a genuine smile. “Very well done, Michael.”

“The food is getting cold. Come on, let’s eat.” Helentia dug into his stew with gusto, gulping and slurping as he ate, his lips smacking even louder than his spoon against the bowl.

Phia’s smile distorted into disgust as she swirled her stew. “Yes, well. Anything interesting happen in today’s story?”

Helentia garbled a reply, “Not really,” chunks of potato tumbling from his mouth and plopping back into his bowl as he spoke.

Michael raised his hand again. “Oh, Mom, where do I even start? There are way too many to choose from. This one woman turned out to be an enemy spy, so dad had her head chopped off.”

Phia shoved her bowl away. When the wobbling bowl rested, a heavy silence fell over the room, lingering until Michael finally broke it with a huge yawn.

“Somebody is sleepy,” Phia said, as she stood up and began clearing the dishes.

Helentia hunched over his bowl, folding his arms around it as he continued to eat. “Wait, I’m not finished.”

Phia snatched the bowl.

“I’m not sleepy.” Michael yawned again.

“Come on, big boy.” Phia hoisted Michael up with one hand, balancing the three bowls in the other. She placed the bowls on the kitchen counter, picked up the candelabra in the center of the table, and headed down the hall.

“Mom, can you read us a bedtime story?” Michael murmured, half asleep in his mother’s arms.

Phia entered the children’s room and set the candle down on their bedside table. “Of course. What story would you like to hear?” She tucked Michael in.

Helentia strayed in, climbed into his bed, and pulled the covers over his face.

Michael scanned the array of books on the shelf next to his bed. “The Lost Seagull.”

“Not The Lost Seagull again; we hear that one every night.”

Phia leaned over to Helentia and whispered, “Quit your whining. He won’t make it through the whole thing.” Phia began reading, and sure enough, Michael was out cold before she finished the first page. “Sweet dreams, my little angel.” She kissed Michael’s forehead. Glancing over at Helentia, she caught him spying from underneath the sheets.

“Mom, I love you.”

“Get some rest. We have a big day tomorrow.” Phia kissed Helentia’s forehead and left the room.

~*~

Phia kneeled down at the foot of her bed. “Oh, mother… What is there to be done? The children… I feel wretched even saying it. My own children are… monsters. I would have done it all differently. Wouldn’t you, mother? If it were not your first time living, perhaps you would have been… gentler. No. Surely this is the work of something else. I fear Michael will end up like the other one… like Father is. Oh, well. They were never mine to control. I must selfishly think of mine own heart. We are so similar, in the end. I am certain they will seat me next to you after death. And we will talk. And laugh. The anxiety is driving me as of late. Maybe I am not your favorite daughter, but… you will always be my favorite mother. You brought me into this world. And now… you see me out.”

~*~

Helentia woke from restless sleep to faint screaming outside his window. He rushed out of bed to check the window and saw their neighbor’s house up in flames. A cyclone of fire and smoke billowed like a great pillar holding the heavens. “Wake up, Mikey.” Michael wouldn’t budge. “Come on, we got to go.” The sound of breaking glass came from outside their room. Goosebumps riddled Helentia’s body from head to toe. “Mom?” He left his brother and tiptoed into the hallway, where two shadows loomed in what light spilled from the kitchen. He looked down on his trembling hands and clenched them tighter and tighter until his fear turned to rage. Focusing straight ahead, he marched onward. A large black horse stood proudly. Atop the horse sat a man cloaked in all black. Helentia fixed his gaze on the head of his mother, Phia, severed from her body and held up by the hair. Her killer admired his trophy with a crooked grin before tossing it to the pool of blood below.

“Was this the girl we were looking for?”

A dark presence entered the room. “Yes... that was my wife.”

The familiar voice resonated through Helentia’s bones. An unnatural light shot out from the darkness, leaving him clawing at his burning eyes. He peeked through the spaces between his fingers, affording him a glimpse of the monstrous silhouette towering over the room. Helentia shuddered. The child slowly raised his head and looked deep into the eyes of this monster. It was Helentia’s father... Antham.