Canto 12 Firelights & Fortune

“And with the souls returned to the bodies of all people—including my daughter, Seras—you three will be held in the highest guard. Please stay so that we may celebrate your victory with a feast. It is the least I can do for my distrust.” Monarch Palino stood at his throne with his daughter beside him.

He stepped down the stairs and over to where Keisha kneeled. Verona and Celra waited outside of the throne room.

“You were right.” Monarch Palino stood in front of Keisha, looking at her. “The sins of the father should not be cast upon the child. You have proven me wrong.”

“Thank you, your majesty, but there is one other thing I have to ask of you.”

Monarch Palino tipped his head. “Ask it, and I shall do what in my power to give it to you.”

“The reason Menoos attacked the city was because Natura Borne continued to hunt Demi’s. You don’t have to like one another, but why can’t you simply coexist together? Even if we’re in a bad situation ourselves, we can make sure we don’t become evil and be kind to others.”

Monarch listened, then nodded, before speaking, “That is something that may prove impossible. We’ve been at war with Demi’s far longer than you or I have been born.”

Keisha frowned. “But why should we let the people of the past dictate our future and how we treat others? Demi’s deserve freedom just as much as Naturaborne.”

Keisha continued to say, “Are you really willing to let more people die because others a long time ago made up some reason not to like each other?”

There were a few whispered words that circulated in the throne from Monarch Palino’s advisors. He stared at Keisha making her squirm and hoped she didn’t cross the line. After an agonizing moment that lasted forever, he spoke:

“You speak wise words for someone so young—as if you have lived it yourself.” He hummed and shuffled his shoulders. “It is a valid point you make, too much senseless violence. If these Demi’s can keep to their lands, we could coexist.”

Keisha beamed. “R-Really? Thank you, sir.”

“Don’t thank us yet, years of hate and mistrust are embedded into us for generations. With time and patience, perhaps we could learn to treat one another as equals. Now go, rest, dinner shall begin shortly.”

Keisha nodded and stood, understanding it would take time and effort to undo years of hate. She was escorted outside to meet Verona and Celra, who pounced on her and excitedly asked her what happened. Keisha went to Verona to explain what happened, but she brushed it off.

Keisha flinched. Verona turned her back on her.

Celra whimpered.

Keisha’s eyes watered at Verona’s rejection. “V-Verona?”

***

As soon as the feast was over the Monarch’s guards escorted them as a few of the town’s citizens waved them goodbye.

They headed toward the right path that would lead them to the River Styx and into the City of Dis—Menoos had revealed to Keisha that someone worked with the Black Hand. An advisor to the Monarch of Dis; Pluto.

Verona was eager to get to Dis straight away.

“Sooo,” Celra dragged out the word. The journey was quiet as the three trudged along the dirt path. “Do we have a plan for what we’re going to say to the Monarch once we reach Dis?”

The two had not spoken a word since.

“Verona?” Celra asked.

Verona snorted. “Why not ask someone? Everyone else does whatever they want without thinking anyway.”

Keisha frowned. She knew Verona meant her.

Celra looked back and forth between the two.

The three continued their journey as the rain poured. After a few minutes, it poured harder. The winds blew chaotically as they slapped across their faces and drenched them in the frigid chilly rain.

“I can’t see!” Keisha yelled over the roaring of the wind and rain. She slipped on the wet ground, but Celra caught her by the arms and pulled her to her feet.

“Verona, we have to find shelter. We can’t keep moving like this!” Celra called out.

Verona nodded, but they were too far to turn back to the city, and there was nothing in the dark distance that looked like shelter.

“Let’s hold on to each other and…Keisha, watch out!”

Keisha turned a split second after to see debris from a bark flying in her direction. A hard shove to her chest sent her backward as Verona pushed her out the way, getting hit instead on the side of the head.

Verona fell unconscious.

“Verona!” Keisha cried out and crawled to her side. Her hand brushed across her forehead to see a trail of blood. Keisha snapped her head up at Celra. “We have to hurry and find somewhere safe.”

Celra and Keisha dragged Verona’s body through the belly of the storm as it grew worse. The winds and rain slowed their movements, making their feet sink into the wet ground.

It wasn’t until Keisha spotted a shadow in the distance. She squinted into the storm and hovered her hand over her eyes to block the rain. “Is that…a house? Come on, Celra.”

The shadowed house looked like an old cabin, sturdy, with thick logs to keep the house standing.

Keisha lifted her knuckles and knocked. The door creaked open.

“H-Hi, I’m sorry to intrude, but we could use help; our friend is hurt.”

***

A WOMAN STOOD ON the opposite side of the door. Her long black hair fell over her shoulders. Her long fingernails were beautiful and dangerous, like talons. Her bangs above her oval silver eyes looked at the weary travelers. She stretched out an ebony hand to them and welcomed them inside.

“Of course, there is a room upstairs.”

The door closed behind them, and the woman led Celra and Keisha to the wooden stairs. They creaked every time they stepped on a floorboard. Celra’s ears flickered, and she looked around the old cabin cautiously.

The inside looked cold, and there were cracks in the foundation. There was a musty stench that permeated the air. Despite the inhabitant living in the home, there were signs of cobwebs, mold, and mildew as if the cabin had been abandoned for several years.

“You may stay here,” the woman said and stretched out her arm toward a wooden door once they reached the top of the staircase.

“Uh, thank you for your hospitality, Miss—”

“Fortuna will do.” A broad and elegant smile was placed on her lips. “If you need anything else, let me know. There should be a fireplace in the room that you can light.”

Keisha nodded; though thankful, she couldn’t help but sense an air of mystery from the woman.

‘Should?’ Celra mouthed when Fortuna headed down the stairs. The two of them walked into the room.

The room was cold and eerie—the musk stronger in the enclosed room. The wind howled from the outside and banged on the window’s pane. There was a lone bed with dusty white linen sheets and a fireplace that sat across from the bed.

Celra and Keisha settled Verona on the bed.

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“I’ll see if Fortuna has any bandages and cloth,” Celra said, exiting from the room. Keisha took to removing their clothes so they could dry and grabbed a few sheets to warm themselves.

Celra tended to Verona’s injuries, and Keisha used a verse to start sparks of fire. She stretched out her hands and concentrated on the tingling and burning on her palms: Scintilla di Fuoco

The fireplace was alit in a burst of flames; the cold evaporated and enveloped the room in a warm mist.

“You’re getting good at that,” Celra complimented her as she finished wrapping the remaining bandages.

Keisha grinned.

Once Verona was patched and the cold and darkness dissipated with the help of the orange glow in the room, there was a knock on the door. Fortuna came inside carrying a tray in her hands. Two teacups and a tray of dough-like cookies with fruit filling on top.

“I thought you two may want something hot to drink and something to fill your bellies—how is your friend?”

Fortuna sat the tray on the bed. Keisha and Celra each grabbed a cup.

Keisha watched Verona’s chest rise and fall. The wound wasn’t major, and she didn’t think she’d have any brain damage.

“I think she’ll be okay,” Keisha told Fortuna. “Nothing serious, but when we get to Dis, we can find a doctor or something.”

Fortuna tilted her head to the side. “Doctor, you say? That’s an odd choice of words.”

Keisha’s eyes popped. She took to sipping her tea eagerly—the taste bitter and thick—burned her tongue. She stuck it out to cool the throbbing sensation.

Fortuna chuckled. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. But if I may ask, what is an Earthborne doing traveling in the Illicit?” Her gaze to Keisha’s ring finger, and she executed an ‘Ahh’ sound, nodding.

“Do you know when this storm will stop?” Celra said, shifting toward Keisha protectively. She didn’t trust Fortuna and with Keisha worried about Verona, she would be blinded to sensing danger.

The woman tapped her long fingernail on her chin. “It depends, my dear wolf-child. We are near the River Styx, and weather conditions can vary.”

“Thank you, Fortuna. We’ll be sure to leave shortly when our friend wakes up,” Keisha told the woman.

“Oh, not at all. The trip to the City of Dis is treacherous. I find it amazing that you Legacies can handle yourself.”

With that, Fortuna left the room, leaving Celra and Keisha to their thoughts.

Keisha looked into the reflection of the chocolaty black tea. “I’m so close to my ma, and I’ve helped so many people as a Legacy…I wonder if papá would be proud, wherever he is.”

“Of course, he’d be proud!” Celra exclaimed. “You saved the Monarch’s son, spared two Demi’s lives that were trying to kill you, and an entire city held a festival in your name.”

Celra’s tail wagged excitedly, making Keisha giggle. She circled the edge of the cup with her finger. Her gaze looked over to Verona, remembering that she was angry with her.

“Hey,” Celra’s soft voice pulled Keisha’s attention away. Her hands cupped around Keisha’s and grasped them. “Verona will come around. She worries about you, that’s all.”

Keisha half-smiled and sighed. “Yeah, I hope so.” Everything was fine until Keisha’s vision doubled. She blinked a few times and almost tipped over the side of the bed had Celra not caught her by the shoulders.

“Keisha, are you okay?” She asked, sitting her upright.

Keisha grabbed the side of her head, and shut her eyes to stop the spinning. She struggled to hold in a cough before regaining her composure. “Y-yeah, I think so. I think I must be tired.”

She sat the cup of tea on the bed as Verona stirred.

“Ugh, my head…I feel like I was hit with a brick.” Verona groaned, sitting upright.

Celra helped situate her on the bed and propped the pillow so she could rest her back.

“I mean, you were hit.” Celra grinned. “Except replace brick with driftwood.”

Verona narrowed her eyes. “Thanks for your side commentary.”

“How are you feeling?” Keisha asked. Worry filled her tone, making Verona look at her. Her doe amber eyes filled with guilt and concern. Verona’s cheeks reddened, looking away briefly, hair moved to shield her embarrassment.

“I’m fine.”

She hated to know Keisha, or anyone for that matter, worried about her. She was torn between a rock and a hard place to forgive or stay mad at her.

“I heard, by the way,” Verona whispered. “Somewhere in the back of my mind. I heard you and Celra talking about your mamma and papá...your accomplishments as a Legacy, and I have to agree that you are doing pretty okay for someone who recently started.”

From the corner of her eye, Keisha flung her arms around her neck. Verona jerked backward and wrapped one arm around Keisha’s waist, her body warming at the contact.

Verona cleared her throat. Keisha separated.

“So, uh, where are we?” she asked, looking around the shambled house for the first time. “You two found something in the middle of this storm?”

“Yeah, a woman named Fortuna let us stay here,” Keisha said.

Verona stilled at the name. “What did you say?”

“Woah, Verona, your face paled all of a sudden. Are you okay?” Celra questioned.

Verona jumped out of bed. Her movements stumbled a bit, and her head throbbed, but she continued to move across the floor to pick up her dried clothes from around the room.

“Verona, what’s going on?” Keisha got off the bed. Her brows furrowed in confusion at Verona’s sudden quickness.

She mumbled something inaudible as she slipped on her pants and shoes. “We need to get out of here. You’ve stumbled upon Fortuna the Sorceress. She’s the Monarch of Dis’s sister and an advisor to the courts until she turned wicked…and started working with the Black Hand.”

Keisha and Celra stared with shocked expressions on their face.

“I knew something seemed off about this place,” Celra growled and revealed her fangs.

The group scrambled to get their gatherings together, but as Keisha finished getting dressed, she fumbled. Verona grabbed her arms, holding her upright, but Keisha’s legs were weak, and she couldn’t maintain her balance.

“Wh-What’s happening to me?” Keisha groaned, her vision danced, and her head spun.

“Celra, did you two have anything to eat? Drink?” Verona questioned her. Celra pointed to the tray on the bed.

Verona handed Keisha to Celra and walked to the tray. She picked up the cup that Keisha had been holding and waved her hand over it, mumbling a verse: Disspare. The Spirit element level allowed her to dispel anything that was previously cloaked by another person’s enchantment.

There was a faint glow around the edges of the cup, where stains of what had struck Keisha ill were visible.

Verona gritted her teeth. “Altissima.” She hissed under her breath, setting the cup aside.

“White snakeroot?” Celra exclaimed. “That’s the poisonous plant that can make you sick and fall into a coma? Why am I not reacting to it?”

Verona nodded. “There’s no smell, for starters. Second, the wolf part of your genes makes the toxins run slower through your veins. Keisha is part Earthborne. When consumed by one, it could lead to death.”

Keisha’s forehead was dripping with sweat. Her legs gave out as Celra supported her full body weight.

“V-Verona…I…I’m sorry,” Keisha mumbled.

Verona turned to Keisha’s weakened body. Her throat tightened, knowing that the consequences could turn for the worse.

Celra pressed her hand on the top of her head. “Verona, she’s burning up.”

“We need to get out of here.”

The three of them hurried out of the room and down the wooden steps, but didn’t make it far when their surroundings warped. The door drifted farther and farther from their reach.

“The door!”

“It’s Fortuna; she’s using Maleficio to mess with our minds.”

There was clapping, and the unseen voice sounded around them. Verona and Celra stood back to back, shielding Keisha and keeping an eye out for any tricks that Fortuna threw at them.

“Bravo. I expected nothing less from the Daughter of Virgil.”

Verona gritted her teeth. She summoned forth her Stanza, gripping the base of the Steele. “Come out and fight me, Fortuna!”

“Do you think you have enough time for that? Your friend is on the verge of dying.”

Verona snapped her head around. Keisha looked worse for wear trying to pick herself up but failing as she slumped back into Celra.

“What do you want, Fortuna!” Verona shouted into the open space.

“A game is all I ask.”

Verona grunted. “We both know that’s not all you want. There’s always a twist.”

The room morphed back from its skewed state. Fortuna sat in front of the door with a table, and three cups turned upside down on the surface.

“Of course, there’s always a risk. The question is, will you risk it for her?” Her manicured hand stretched out to Keisha, more like sharp daggers.

Verona gritted her teeth. Her shoulders relaxed, and she returned out of her Stanza form.

“Verona, are you sure about this?” Celra said, stepping forward.

Verona looked at the weakened state Keisha was in. “We don’t have a choice.

Verona sat across from Fortuna. “Alright, explain the rules.”

Fortuna smirked. “Gladly. A game of chance, one round,” Fortuna said, holding up a long fingernail. “You see three cups in front of you. One of them has the antidote to save your friends.”

Celra growled—barring her teeth in Fortuna’s direction. “You tricked us once already. Let’s find another way.”

Despite Keisha’s ill state, Verona shook her head.

“We don’t have time before the poison kills her, and you’re next, Celra.”

“Shall we begin?” Fortuna asked with a smile. Verona bobbed her head to start the game. Fortuna moved the cups around with rapid speed.

“Y-you knew we were coming this way.” Keisha dragged her words. Her tongue was swollen as the toxin worked through her body. “The Black Hand…they sent you, d-didn’t they?”

Fortuna grinned. “And I was also curious to know about the legendary Shikari daughters. You’ve managed to defeat Menoos; that’s something that shouldn’t be ignored.”

“And did you also get that information from Pluto? Those p-people y-you work with t-took my mamma.”

Again Fortuna smiled. “Oh, I know who took your mamma—but had Dante not betrayed his duties, your mother would be safe. Of course, you wouldn’t have been born, and the Black Hand would be at a stand-still without you.”

Keisha gritted her teeth. She had little energy, but lunged forward. She almost fell, had Celra not been there to keep her steady.

“That’s enough,” Verona said, alerting Fortuna and Keisha of the situation they were in. “I’m ready to choose.”

The cups stopped moving. Fortuna sat her hands in front of her lap and smirked at Verona, assuming that she would not know where the antidote was located.

“None of them,” Was all Verona said, catching even Fortuna off guard. She tilted her head to the side and blinked.

“Excuse me?”

“Sleight of hand. I was watching you the entire time. While you were bickering, I had already used a dispel verse for my eyes to see through your tricks.” Fortuna gritted her teeth with an affronted expression.

“The antidote was never in the cups.”

The annoyed expression vanished to a serious one. Fortuna grabbed two cups from the middle and turned them over. There was liquid in them, and she stretched out her hand in offering.

“Here’s the antidote—from one trickster to another, it seems.”

Verona grinned. “All’s fair in the game.”

With that, Fortuna disappeared. Verona grabbed the two cups and handed them to Celra, and helped Keisha drink the liquid down. It took a few moments, but color returned to her face.

“You used me as bait,” Keisha mumbled, shaking her head.

Verona sighed. She shrugged her shoulders. “I had to if we were ever going to get past.”

Keisha pouted, annoyed about being used. The three walked out of the house—the skies clear of rain—a crow cawed in the air.