“I don’t see why I need to meet with this person,” Neeku whined to Sheeba as she skulked down the alleyway in Tawnytown. “You said my mastery of abilities granted by you is growing; I can already see in the dark, thanks to your gift, and I can shadowstep whenever I want…usually.”
I was not aware at the ripe old age of sixteen you knew everything; forgive me, O wise one, Sheeba said, her tone dripping with sarcasm. Is there anything else you’d like to enlighten me about? How the universe began, perhaps? Or maybe how to achieve world peace?
“All right, all right, I’m going, aren’t I? You don’t have to be so mean,” the young woman whined again, which earned her a dismissive sniff from her Goddess. “What’s so special about this man, anyway?”
His name is Jonah, he’s one of the last worshippers I have, and he has certain skills that you’ll need if you are to enact your vengeance. Or is that no longer the case now that you have me in your life?
“Oh, I DEFINITELY still want vengeance; one of those bastards that were last seen with my dad will have some idea where he vanished to after that last job. I KNEW that my stepfather was lying about him abandoning my mom and me.” Neeku rubbed her throat, thinking about the last time she’d seen that son of a goat.
Still sore? Sheeba asked concernedly.
“Yeah, but thanks to my mom Eto didn’t get the chance to finish me off. At least he couldn’t resist bragging about what he knew while he was choking me; one good thing to come out of that bastard’s death. Too bad my mom is now in prison for his murder. Just our luck that one of the guard’s on Eto’s take was the one who responded to his death screams. Otherwise, I don’t think the other guard would’ve said it was murder and not self-defense.”
To be fair, your mother DID sever Eto’s tendons in his legs, and then when the asshole let go of you and tried to fight her off, she pinned down each hand with a kitchen knife and then stabbed him in the crotch and stomach twenty times, Sheeba said, awe in her voice. I honestly didn’t think she had it in her. But being a midwife did teach her about the human body, and all its weaknesses. He shouldn’t have acted like she was weak.
“I agree, and I didn’t think she had it in her either,” Neeku whispered softly, pride warring with loneliness. “But at least a lot of the women she helped birth babies are locked up in the prison also; some of the guards too have kids or are fathers to kids she helped bring into the world. I never really realized how many lives she’s touched in her line of work. She told me not to worry about her, that she would be fine. I just wish I believed her,” the young woman finished, a single tear trickling down her right cheek.
I think your mother is much tougher than she appeared, least of all to you. And I’m glad that you listened to her when she told you not to try and break her out; then, you’d both be languishing in prison. Sheeba paused. I have to say, I’m honestly surprised that you didn’t tell her about your ‘strange behavior’ over the last few years.
“I thought about it, and you’re right: me telling her that I’m now bonded with the Goddess of the Night wouldn’t help her, could ruin our relationship if she didn’t believe me, and would potentially put us all at risk if someone heard and could use that information to their advantage.” She paused, gripping the doorway of their destination. “Still doesn’t mean I’m happy about it though.”
You’re a teenage, you’re never happy, Sheeba observed, to which Neeku stuck out her tongue. And you’re sure the name you’ve chosen is one you want to be called? Not saying it’s ‘bad’ or anything, the Goddess said, giving the mental equivalent of holding up her hands placatingly, just want to know since that’s what I’ve been calling you for the last few days.
“I’m sure; it’s close enough to my real name that I can remember it, while being different enough that unless someone really knew me, they wouldn’t put two and two together,” Neeku thought, keeping her left hand on the wall as she slowly creeped down the stairs. “I think I’m going to try summoning that darkness sphere you’ve had me practicing the last few nights. Let this man know that he can’t pull one over on me, that he should respect me from the start.”
Oh, yes, by all means please summon the darkness sphere. I want to see how you’re coming along with that, Sheeba said, and something in her voice raised Neeku’s suspicions. It was almost like a giggle. That should establish a level of respect for sure.
Ignoring her Goddess, Neeku kept slowly moving forward until she’d come down the stairs. Moving to the left, keeping her back to the wall, she waited until she was to the figure’s left sitting cross legged in the middle of the room. “Why aren’t there any torches lit?” she asked her Goddess.
Maybe he’s asleep? Sheeba offered, and there was that hitch in Her voice once more, as if She was in on a joke Neeku wasn’t aware of, but the young woman had come too far to back out now; besides, her pride was hurt, and she was going to show them what she could do. Calling on the darkness inside her, Neeku stretched out her right hand and a ball of darkness appeared surrounding the sleeping man. She was proud of herself, the sphere was bigger than she’d ever conjured before, reaching out more than an arm’s length on all sides.
But if he was truly asleep, he wouldn’t notice the predicament he was in, so Neeku reached down and grabbed some loose pebbles from the stone floor and tossed them to the right of the man. “What, who’s there? What’s going on?” the man said sleepily, and Neeku couldn’t help but grin. Racing forward, she dove into the sphere, fully expecting to tackle the man as he stood, probably confused and a little afraid of what was happening. She didn’t want to hurt him, just show him that she wasn’t some novice; she was someone to respect, to fear, to…
…Neeku barely had time to register that she hadn’t contacted the man before she’d sailed straight through the sphere of darkness and landed on the stone floor, the unexpected fall knocking the wind right out of here. Wheezing, she didn’t even have time to turn over before the man was kneeling on her back, both wrists seized in his grip. “Let me go!” she growled, trying to struggle and flip over, break free of his grasp, do SOMETHING. But the man just shifted with her, maintaining his hold on her.
“You’re the one who snuck down here and attacked ME, and now you want mercy? Oh sweetie, that ship has sailed,” the man said, chuckling. Neeku couldn’t even get a good look at him, because every time she tried to slip out, he kept her face down.
Growling, she did something she’d never done before, and conjured another darkness sphere on top of them. Even with her hands free, she shouldn’t have been able to muster up the energy for another hour or so; bound and face down, it should’ve been impossible. But apparently, fear for her life gave her strength she didn’t know she possessed. “How does it feel to not be able to see, asshole?” she said, seething.
“Oh no, I can’t see! How should I protect myself?” the man said as he let Neeku go, who rolled away and crouched down near where they’d been scuffling. With her Darkvision, she watched the man sit back on his heels, arms waving in front of him. “I hope you don’t attack me again or anything!” he said loudly.
“You asked for it,” Neeku sneered, and lunged forward with a punch…only to have the man move his arms and deflect her blow. She tried again, and again the same thing happened. No matter which combination she tried or from what direction she sprung her attack, the man blocked each and every one effortlessly. “How are you doing that?” she panted out.
“Easily,” the man drawled, lunging forward quicker than she would have expected, grabbing her by the shoulders and spinning around before launching her through the air. She hit the wall with a loud smack, the wind once again knocked out of her. She sat up as best she could as the man calmly strolled over to her. Gritting her teeth, she used the wall to help her stand, studying her opponent, looking up at his face only to see…
“You’re blind,” Neeku blurted out, noticing that both of his eyes were milky clear.
“And you’re rude,” he replied, giving her a rap on the head that bounced her head off of the wall. As she slid down to the floor, he spoke to her, or rather through her. “So, O Goddess of the Night, this feisty stubborn weasel is the one who’s going to help us out? I have to say, if it wasn’t blasphemy I’d question your choice and your intelligence. But it is, so I won’t.”
Yes Jonah, she is. She’s stronger and tougher than she looks, she just needs to learn some patience and your unique skill set. Is that going to be a problem? Sheeba asked.
Somehow, he heard her. “I am but a humble servant,” he said, bowing, and then Neeku passed out.