The Thorn Chaise

Chapter 6

            After we treat our wounds, we embark on the journey home. Though the difference is not noticeable, nature seems to be healing. The grasp of the Twelvemonth Blossom has loosened; now all that’s left is a space that will surely thrive…in time.

            On the outskirts of the ruined city, there waits Morning Star and Chocolate. Their eyes lighten when they see us. I brush my hand gently on Morning Star’s mane. Lucas does the same to his horse while smiling from ear to ear. The way home is serene, full of nothing but peace.

            On the way home, Lucas tells me stories about Mary.

            “Mary’s mother has never liked me. She always thought I’d be the downfall of her daughter.” His eyes lower. “But the father’s opinion is all that matters in our society, so I was lucky he liked me.”

            “Why didn’t Mary’s mother like you?”

            “She thought of herself as a witch. A witch who could foresee the future. She predicted that her death will be my culpability… But she was wrong!” Lucas eyes his backpack. “I will be the one that revives Mary, while she does nothing but prays. She used to lock herself in her chamber for days on end, only exiting to greet her husband when he’d return from his business trips. I heard he took mistresses. Serves you right, Esme, for being useless.”

            Esme must be taking her daughter’s comatose state harshly. Who wouldn’t? I want to extend my empathy toward her, but Lucas seems to think she deserves her pain. My beliefs are that no one deserves to lose their child the way Esme did. Luckily, she will regain her daughter now that we’ve defeated the Cave Queen.

            “You know…” Lucas continues. “She wanted to take away Mary’s sleeping body at first. Of course, I couldn’t let that happen so I summoned her husband and told him about her affairs in the early days of their marriage. Poor Esme, now she lives in an old, decrepit mansion, far away from her husband’s eyes.”

            “How did you know of her affairs if they happened so long ago?”

            “Oh, Macie. I know a lot of things. It’s just a talent of mine.”

            This conversation ends on an unsettling note, just as the sun begins setting. We hadn’t slept the previous night, so we were especially tired. We set up our camp, feed our horses, and head to sleep.

 A young-looking woman waltzes in a ballroom, dressed head to toe in golden jewelry and a silver gown. Her face is covered by an ivory veil that hides her every feature. She’s paler than a weightless cloud with platinum blonde hair to match. She’s dancing with a man twice her size, dressed in groom attire. Only now do I realize this is a wedding.

The song ends, and the tiny bride returns to her seat, where she would stay the entire night. Only as the guests start departing does she take off her veil, revealing features almost identical to Mary’s. Her expression is tired, and she looks like she’s about to cry.

I find myself in a colossal mansion, filled to the brim with paintings and decorations. I see an older version of the bride huddled up in the corner of a dance hall, holding a little girl, about 8 or 9, in her lap. It must be her daughter.

The manor is full of frolicking children. In the middle of the room, a three-tier white cake adorned with a “Happy Birthday” written in chocolate is attracting the attention of every kid. Except for a little boy who looks exactly like Lucas. He’s staring at the daughter mesmerized. Esme notices him and holds her child tighter. Despite her mother’s reluctance, Mary breaks free from her grasp and joins the other children. Lucas takes the opportunity and approaches her nervously.

“You’re pretty.” He says, lips quivering.

Mary doesn’t respond but flashes him a kind smile. From the corner of the room, Esme’s eyes pierce through Lucas like a dagger. The little girl notices her mother’s fear disguised as anger, and takes Lucas’ hand, leading him out of the chamber. Panicked, Esme follows. She wanders the hallway, yet the two children are nowhere to be found, for they are hiding behind the golden statue of a swan that shines proudly in the middle of the antechamber.

“I don’t usually get to talk to other kids.” Mary finally speaks, guilt swarming around her stomach.

“That’s sad,” Lucas replies; his stomach is bereft of any destructive emotions, he’s just happy to be near the beautiful girl.

“Not really, I have my mommy to keep me company.”

“That’s not enough! You need friends! Here!” He extends his hand toward Mary. “Let me be your friend.”

Mary grabs his arm and holds tight, finally having found a mate. 

The next sight I lay my eyes on is sudden. In the blink of an eye, the fancy manor turns into a dark room, empty except for a large coffin-like bed. As expected, in the bed lays a lifeless Mary. Next to her, Esme is sobbing her eyes out, holding her daughter’s cold hand with the forceful gentleness only a mother could muster. Lucas and Mary’s father are also there, but they wear solemn, emotionless expressions. The contrast between their facial characters hurts my soul. They’re all dressed in black.

“YOU!” Esme turns to Lucas. “This is all your fault!” Her tears are trickling down her cheeks like a waterfall.

“This is no one’s fault, Mrs. Abney.” Lucas pats her shoulder condescendingly. “The curse has an unknown cause.”

“Esme… Please… You’re causing a scene.” Mary’s father interjects. “I understand you’re mourning your daughter, but that doesn’t mean you can let your emotions take the better of you.”

“You don’t understand! None of you!” She screams at the top of her lungs. “I was right about you, Lucas! You’re nothing but a demon! You brought misfortune into Mary’s life! The spirits told me you were going to be the death of her, yet I didn’t listen… I let you waltz into her life and destroy everything!”

“Esme…” Lucas coos. “Just because you weren’t allowed to love your soulmate, that doesn’t mean Mary shouldn’t either.”

Esme lets go of Mary’s hand and lunges towards Lucas, full of determination. She slaps him so hard; that Lucas’ cheek begins to redden and swell. A noticeable mark lays on his face. Appalled by this display of violence, Mary’s father grabs his wife by her wrist and drags her away while apologizing to his son-in-law. Lucas is left alone with Mary’s corpse in the eerie room. He drops the façade of emotionlessness, grabbing Mary’s hand. He begins sobbing.

I awake in a cold sweat. It’s barely midnight, yet I feel plenty rested. By my side sits Lucas, whose snoring rings out throughout the forest. My head is swarming with questions. What was this dream? Was it a replay of the events that occurred in Esme’s life? But how could I possibly know of any? Yet again, maybe my imagination stole my consciousness. I can’t put it into words, but there’s something amiss here.

Lucas awakes startled. He turns to me wide-eyed as if he just had the scare of his life. “Good morning!” He greets me, trying to play off his alarmed state as nothing but a joke, or maybe a nightmare. But it’s too late, I already caught on to his emotions.

“It’s not really morning yet.” I keep a straight face.

“Ah, yes.” He looks up at the moon shining divinely above us. “It’s probably midnight.” He laughs nervously.

“Are you alright?”

“What? Yeah, of course! Why wouldn’t I be alright? It’s just that… there are dangerous animals in these parts of the forest; it’s unsafe to go to sleep here. It was a mistake on my part camping here…I’m sorry, Macie, but we need to go. Now.”

“Why?” I swallow my fear of upsetting Lucas. My anxiety is long gone, considering the fact that I had just saved his life yesterday.

“Because it’s dangerous here, Macie.”

“You didn’t seem concerned about danger when we went to sleep.”

“Macie. I’m human. I make mistakes. I’m sorry… But we really need to get out of here. Now!” Lucas is half-shouting whilst trying to wake up the horses. Meanwhile, I sit still. My resignation is through the roof.

“Macie!” He continues. “Let’s go!” He’s packing up the tent as I stare at him, glossy-eyed.

When he’s done, he grabs my hand and pulls me towards the horse. My feet refuse to move on their own, and Lucas has to pick me up and carry me on his shoulders. I’m smaller than I’d like to admit, but his strength seems immense for his body. He places me on the saddle and he guides our horses through the woodland.

The moon’s shining starts to dissipate as the sun awakens. Lucas sees the morning sky reddening, slouching his shoulders as a sign of easing. His tense demeanor seems to fade away.

“What was that all about?” I ask Lucas, but he’s reluctant to answer. Instead, he focuses his attention on the shrubbery ahead of him.

On the way home, I keep pestering him about the happening of last night, yet he dodges every inquiry. I can feel annoyance rise inside of him, but I refuse to keep my mouth shut. I want to know why he was so scared.

“Why-“

“Stop asking me about that goddamn thing! Is it so wrong to flee a dangerous place?”

“No…” I answer meekly, afraid to anger Lucas any further. Finally, it seems that I have pushed his buttons beyond the breaking point. I wonder how he would react if I kept going. My mind is curious, but my soul doesn’t allow me to proceed any further. After all, Lucas took me in when no one else would.

Finally, we arrive at Lucas’ mansion. The first thing he does is unmount the horse and rush straight in, not waiting for me. He must be excited to see his wife again. I try to follow him, but by the time I enter through the doorway, he’s already gone. I head to the room where Mary sleeps. He’s there, cradling her head in his arms while gently feeding her the liquid.

Resounding silence echoes through the room. Nothing has changed, except now, the vial’s empty. Lucas stares at Mary with terror, realizing she’s not going to wake up. He slams his head on her chest and doesn’t move.

“Maybe we did something wrong,” I suggest to him, hoping to lift his spirits.

“He said we needed the lifeblood of the Twelvemonth Blossom.” He says, sulking.

“Who?”

“When Mary first fell into this slumber, we took her to the most distinguished doctors. No one could identify what was wrong. But to Esme’s suggestion, we took her to the chief healer of the tribe in the middle of the forest. He’s the one who told us she’ll awaken if she drank the lifeblood of the Cave Queen.” He stares into my eyes with a deepness I cannot comprehend.

“Maybe you misunderstood something. Maybe he meant the stem or the root!” I recommend to Lucas, trying to comfort him.

“I should have never trusted him… Esme was probably trying to set me up.”

“You don’t know that! It doesn’t make sense for a mother to compromise her own daughter’s life in order to sabotage someone she doesn’t like.”

“You don’t know Esme.” He laughs. He eyes the empty vial, then he throws it with all his might into the wall. “Goddamn tribesmen and their stupid remedies!”

I’d be lying if I said his words didn’t affect me, but I understand his anger. He must be feeling desolate at this new revelation.

“Calm down, Lucas! Anger won’t solve anything!”

He ignores me, pushing me aside. He disappears from my sight, presumably going to his room. Not wanting to disturb him any further, I also head to my room. All I do is stare at the little dollhouse Lucas gifted me. He’s a kind man, though troubled by his past. I wonder how could I save Mary from the curse that lays beneath her. My eyelashes fall heavy on my retinas, and I sink into nothingness before I can do anything else.

“Why is this happening?” I ask myself, in a dream state. “Why won’t the cure work?”

“I think it might be the wrong cure,” Mary tells me, patting me on the head. She toys with my curls, playfully pulling and twisting them. “Maybe lifeblood refers to something else.”

I lay my head in her lap. She nudges at my cheek; her hand is freezing, almost like a cube of ice, yet its’ softness pulls me in. She caresses my cheek up and down as if petting a dog, and she kisses me on the forehead.

“It’s time for you to wake up. Lucas is lonely.” She whispers.

My sleep is cut short. It seems that it was not yet time for the sun to set, so I wasn’t asleep for long. I head to Lucas’ chamber, where he sits still in his bed. His bloodshot eyes and pale skin remind me of a corpse. The bags under his eyes fall heavy around his expression like a blanket.

“How are you feeling?” I approach him.

“I don’t understand.” His voice is shaky. “What did I do to deserve this?”

“It’s not your fault. Maybe we need to get in contact with Mary’s mother and ask her about the advice the chief gave you. You could have misunderstood something.”

“She can go to hell!” Lucas yells with all his anger bound by his vocal cords. “I don’t need her witchcraft; I need real solutions!”

“But-“

“There’s nothing you can do here, Macie. Just… go play in your room, alright?”

Frustrated, I stand by my refusal to do nothing. I go outside, where Morning Star and Chocolate are grazing on grass. With all my might, I mount the black horse and head into the nearby village, hoping Maina might know something about this chief healer.

My sense of direction might be muddy, but I remember the path Lucas took to reach the town. Less than 2 hours pass by me before I arrive at the settlement. Brimming with life, the town square is peppered with people, either dancing or feasting. The decorations have doubled since the last time I visited, and the spirits of the people seem to have lifted. The festival must have begun.

I navigate through the sea of people like I’m in a labyrinth, finally managing to reach Maina’s farm after a torturous while. He’s seated on the porch of the cottage, looking absently in the distance.

“Mister Maina!” I yell, instructing Morning Star to run towards him. He turns in my direction, visibly surprised by my presence.

“You’re that little girl that accompanied Mister Wood!” He points at me, fingers shaking. “What are you doing here?”

“I came to ask about a tribe that resides in the middle of the forest! I need their healer’s advice.”

“Ah, the Tsakiya tribe. Mister Wood had told me about their legendary healer, who was known throughout the land for his mastery. I am but a simple farmer; rumors don’t get around to me, so I can’t know more than what Mister Wood told me. I suggest you ask the village’s chiefess. She has amassed knowledge far beyond my understanding.”

“Can you lead me to her?” I plead with Maina.

“Of course! Mister Wood has invested so much into our village, that it would be unfair to reject his kin.”

Maina grabs the bridle I put on Morning Star and leads us towards the chiefess’ house. It barely takes us a few minutes to arrive.

“I have work to do, little girl. I’m afraid this is the farthest I can guide you. Good luck in your journey, and treat Morning Star kindly.” Maina’s shape becomes smaller and smaller in the distance until I can no longer see him. Only then, I knock on the chiefess’ door.

At the door appears an elderly woman. Her hair is grey like ash, cascading down her back like a waterfall. Her curls are tight and imposing. Her dark skin is riddled with wrinkles and folds, almost like an origami figure. Her eyes are piercing me with their stare, darker than anything I’ve seen before. Her dusky skin shines.

“H-Hello! My name is Mansurah, and I’ve come to inquire about the Tsakiya tribe!”

“You have no business knowing about this tribe.” Her voice is hoarse and imposing.

“Please, ma’am! I need to ask the chief healer a very important question!”

“If this is about that woman that can’t wake up, don’t bother. I don’t care how much money you put into our village, or how much you try to 'civilize' us, we will never submit to you!” The woman goes to close her door, but I jam my foot between the entrance.

“I don’t need submission! I need help! Please, ma’am, I’ll do anything! Just-“

The chiefess sighs, eyeing me with pity. She stays still for a few seconds, seemingly lost in thought, then heads to a different chamber, leaving the door open. I follow her in, continuously pleading with her. She grabs a piece of paper from under the carpet and offers it to me. A map.

“Listen to me, child. Lucas Wood must not know of this map’s existence, understand?” Her voice is aggressive, blunt, and serious.

I shake my head in approval, suddenly intimidated by her change of tone. She takes the opportunity to put the map in my hand, quickly hiding the spot where the chart once was. I take a quick look at the map, where I see red markings leading to the center of the forest.

“If you wish to find this healer, follow this path.” She continues, pointing at the red markings. “The road is not long; it’ll take you less than three hours on horseback. Whatever you do, do not let that man follow you. And do not mention his name. Nothing bad will happen if you go alone, understand?”

“Understood.”