Ogres and Ogresses Ch. 32

I do.

Ginger took a step forward and was stunned when she tripped immediately, a vine wrapping about her ankle.

Her father crossed his arms, his eyes sharp.

You may think that daughter, but the keromedio is the savior of the valley. She is no more your sister than she is ours. No one person owns the keromedio's loyalty. She will not always be able to protect you, and she more than others, cannot protect you from witches. She can't protect herself. Trust me. I have lived here long.

I can take care of myself! I've been trained!

With what? Crude human techniques? For how long? You have no muscle definition, no scars, you are not a warrior, I watched you grow girl. You are a gatherer.

Ginger hissed as her arms and legs were restrained and struggled against them in vain. Her blue brethren watched in surprise.

This is my life and my choice! You can't decide that for me!

He strode up to her, his eyes filled with hurt. I will not have you throw your life away for a human. Not as I did. You will remain here, until you have learned our ways and your mind is clear. Clear of the human ways, clear of the human world. You will be reborn as Azmaria. The spirits will it.

'No!' she shrieked fighting her hardest.

Drop her in the Sap of Memory. Let her see the visions. Start from the beginning of our history and don't stop until she reaches the end.

'Let me go! Father!' She struggled in vain as the nymphs gingerly obeyed, confused but believing their elder.

'Vine! Where is Vine? He wouldn't let this happen! Gharla! Tell him Gharla sent me please!'

A beautiful nymph woman looked at her with pity and nodded. I will tell him Azmaria.

They pressed her into the wall of the sap and as it closed over her, the vines were no longer necessary. Immediately she was seized by vivid flashes as a seed exploded life. She watched it grow and grow until it became a tree and bore blue fruit. That fruit unfurled into a tiny woman and grew in size in seconds. Azmaria, the first nymph for whom she was named after. She pressed into the tree and became one with it, giving her essence in order to fill the tree with more fruit until they burst open and the first tribe of nymphs was born. The first daughter of Azmaria, Ny, imbued with the energy of her mother, went off to make the Selkie and the other water creatures, but her power did not dissipate and she was strong. All Aquanders worshipped saint Ny, just as the Landers worship Shyla. When her feats were done the witches found her. They were more human then. It was she, Ny, who became the first and last, nymph keromedio.

As the knowledge filled Ginger, she began to forget details of her mission, and time had no meaning in a world of countless visions. The sap fed her information and sustenance until she passed out, and the visions were her dreams. She tried to plead for mercy, to cry out to Zyra, to do anything, but she was so heavy. Ginger focused on holding a single thought in her mind. Find Zyra. Find Zyra. Even if she forgot everything, her mother, her tribe, her duties. If this emptied her cup and made her into a creature she would not recognize. She would remember, Find Zyra.

Find Zyra.

Find Zyra.

--

"Maker be praised Zyra! That was a whole ten seconds. Your personal best!"

"Please do not praise my mediocrity."

"Mediocrity? Why Zyra, these things take time."

"But we don't have time do we?"

The witch turned from her, biting at her nails for the fifth time that day. It was day two and Etaceh was trying very hard to look on the brighter side of things. She was not a teacher. She was not a motivational speaker. She was a witch of great magical talent and quite unable to express how that came to be. Was it a curse that she was naturally gifted? She supposed so, since now she could only watch as Zyra continued to perform at a sad and depressing rate. Caligula's methods might have been cruel, but they produced results. Oh but if she were to be cruel Zyra might never trust her again, and it had taken so long for that to happen.

"Why don't we start from the stop? Show me your form."

Zyra assumed the correct form, not a finger out of place.

"Good. Now walk me through your thought process."

"I must see a wall that separates me from the rest of the world. A shivering energy that rises from within me, exploding forth."

"Perfect. Now, 1...2...3!"

Etaceh threw a fire ball forward and Zyra's purple shield sprung forward, but shortly after dissipated and Zyra had to duck. The earth behind her was scorched, and she looked at it frowning.

In the corner sat Scallen with a tome...a book, watching their lesson. Etaceh had not objected, which showed how desperate she'd made the witch. With Medean busying himself with her living quarters and seeming rather withdrawn as of late, and the date of the journey nearing, there was little time to waste.

"Zyra!"

She snapped back to see a ball of fire inches from her face and ducked. It flew past her, Etaceh groaning to herself irritation.

"Is this an impossible feat? Was I wrong to banish him? Oh I'd rather die than grovel to that arrogant—"

"Do you know why your ssshield doess not sssustain Zyra?"

The women's heads snapped in his direction.

" A ssshield is born out of the will to protect...you are not protecting anyone, and your own...sssself-pressservation leaves much to be desssired...But some shields can also be born of fear. You are not afraid of Etaceh's fireballs. Your shield will not hold because you do not believe your life is in danger if it doesn't. sSSimply put, you need fear..."

Zyra watched Scallen as his body rippled and contorted, the skin ripping to reveal large scales as he transformed into the giant basilisk in front of her. She'd never seen it before.

Looking down in surprise she saw she was shaking.

"S-scallen."

The creature in front of her hissed and she swallowed.

"Scallen I get it, I'll try harder, but this isn't funny. Stop i—"

Without warning, Scallen struck, his poisonous fangs in the ground where she'd stood. Rolling on her side, she scrambled to her feet and went to reach her weapon when she remembered she'd been disarmed for this lesson.

Fuckta.

"Sca— "

She shrieked when a drop of his poison landed on her shirt and she tore it away, the skin tender even without a long touch. From behind him Etaceh yelled, "Defend yourself!"

Zyra looked into the eyes of the beast. She could remember now, her first time in the valley, remembering her mother's tales, facing down something that made her feel like it would enjoy watching her die. As the memory overlapped with her circumstance she started to wonder if Scallen really was Scallen in that form. Was he in control? Or did the creature act upon his last thought?

She didn't have time to ponder when Scallen rushed at her and her shield sprung forth. He bashed against it and with the second charge she flew against a tree, her spine hitting the bark before she slid to the ground.

"That's enough Scallen! Stop that's an order," Etaceh demanded.

The basilisk rushed again, toppling the tree and she ran, her heart racing. The tree sizzled from the venom. He had to still be in there. This was for her lesson. He was testing her.

Scallen spat at her and she activated her shield, it lasting just long enough for Scallen to join in on a physical attack. Suddenly his tail encircled her and her arms were pinned to her sides. He squeezed tighter and tighter, lifting her higher and higher, her legs high in the air and her head staring down his dead hungry eyes. It didn't matter anymore whether he was testing her or not. She understood now. Etaceh's screaming in the background, the pounding of her heart in her ears, the feeling of him loosening his grip as he suspended her over his mouth spoke one truth. He was going to let her fall.

A sharp feeling of panic overtook her when he let go.

"NO!"

Etaceh rushed forward, but she was knocked back by the force of Zyra's shield, larger and more defined as it surged through her and manifested right before she slammed into Scallen's mouth. Rolling with the shield, the fended off three more of his charges before it broke and she lay exhausted on the ground. She heard a loud rattle and abruptly it was quiet, and she stared into the eyes of the Scallen she knew.

"Thirty sssecondss...personal bessst..."

Without a hint of remorse of apology, he picked up his book and walked off. Glancing back he tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his gut. He'd done what was best for her. She was a keromedio first and foremost. He'd almost forgotten that. Deaf to Etaceh's threats and promises, he ignored Zyra's gaze that resting on his retreating back, a mixture of an old and new emotion, one that would no doubt haunt him at his table tonight. He'd seen lust and determination, happiness and sadness, worry and anger. But oh how bitter it was to see those green eyes gaze at him with confusion, and fear.

She will thank you one day, he told himself. But would she ever trust him? He had shown her what he truly was. Each day some of her innocence dissipated and the safety net set forth by the magical powers unraveled more and more. She was becoming more knowledgeable in magic, culture, language. Bit by bit her humanity would start to fade. What would she be then? He'd never known a keromedio that lived long enough to tell him what would happen. Would she still be Zyra?

Or would she be just another creature clawing out of the dark? Scallen was unsure. He was very unsure.

--

"Takh! Brother please hurry!"

Talia looked high and low until she found her brother Takh, the one the humans called Vine sitting on the edge of the Selkie's pond. Nymare was cowering from him, ignoring his cooing to urge her out the water and make sport with him. Likely it was because her beautiful form reminded him of his serosta, and her resistance reminded him of her spirit. Still, Talia knew that bad things were happening and this was not the time for thought.

"Brother come quick!"

He turned and the Selkie ducked beneath the water, escaping him. He hissed. "What is it Talia? Do you not see that I was—"

"There was a human nymph in the Mother Tree. A friend of FriendZyra's. The Elder dropped her in the Sap of Memory. She said Gharla sent her."

His eyes widened and as fast as they could they ran towards the tree. When they arrived the girl was fully submerged and the Elder sat there watching, the younger nymphs uneasy.

Elder! Cease this. You mustn't! he sent telepathically, but the door to the Elder's mind was shut, a realization so jarring he nearly tripped. Rushing forth he pushed away his brothers and pulled the human out. To his surprise she looked mostly like a nymph, and as she coughed out the sap, his blood ran cold. Her eyes...

"She's forgetting," he breathed. "You knew this would happen. Why would you do this?" he shouted.

The Elder glared at him with no remorse. "None of you will ever know what it is to be the creator and not the created. None of you will ever know what it is to have a child. I will not apologize for protecting her from herself. Put her back in the sap!"

"No!" Vine snapped. "We had no right! She is a human!"

"Not anymore," the Elder growled. "She might not have been in there long, but she has already forgotten her human life. Would you deny your newest sister a full recollection of her history? Would you deny Azmaria wholeness?"

Vine walked up to the young nymphess and patted her until her eyes regained focus. "How long was she in there?" he asked Talia.

"Minutes, but...as you know that is enough."

"What was her name?"

"Ginger."

"Ginger! Look at me. Do you know where you are?"

"I am...in the Mother Tree."

"Yes. And do you know how you came to be?"

"I was born out of the Mother Tree's essence like all of us."

"No! You had a mother. Do you remember her?"

The nymph's bright blue eyes looked through him and she smiled. "Yes, the Mother Tree is our mother. And I remember when she first came to be, long ago as the Sap of Memory tells in its teachings."

"Ginger."

"My name is not Ginger, brother. It is Azmaria. I am named after the first—"

"Shush now."

Her speech was fluid and unconfused by her human understanding of the Mother Tree. She understood like one of them.

Vine's blood ran cold. Whoever this Ginger girl had been, she was now gone. He turned to the Elder. "You are...a murderer. You've killed who your daughter was. You took everything that she was and you destroyed it."

"And I would do it again," he snarled. He smiled, "Azmaria, darling. Come here. Come to your Elder so we may finish your instruction."

She rose and Vine stopped her. He looked around at his brother and sisters who were frozen in shock. The nymphs had no ruler, but they always listened to their elders. And yet, was it not Vine who had saved them time and time again? Vine who dared consort with powerful humans and the most powerful keromedio?

Vine felt something significant in the air, but chose to ignore it. "Caleem! Are you here?"

His brother walked forward. "Yes Takh?"

"Take Azmaria to of the Sister Trees that lie to the east. She is not safe here."

Caleem looked between them, and went to take Azmaria's hand.

"No!"

The Elder banged a large staff of the ground, his eyes filled with rage. "I will not have you manhandle my daughter insignificant whelp! Bring her here Caleem!"

"Caleem take her to safety!"

"She can be no place safer than in my arms! I am her father!"

Azmaria tilted her head and laughed. "Brothers, nymphs have no fathers." With a swing in her hip she walked to Talia who had hung back. "You...you seem familiar. Perhaps you might assist me Sister?"

Talia nodded, trying to keep from feeling how wrong all of this was. What had they done?

"I...I need to find something...I need to...find...someone."

"No..." the Elder ran towards her and forcibly started to drag her towards the sap. "No!"

"Let me go! What are you doing?"

"Quiet Azmaria!"

"I have to find her! I have to find—"

"Elder!" Vine's growl shook the tree as the Elder found himself thrown inches from the sap.

"Zyra."

Vine's eyes glowed with anger. "If you do not stand down I will put you in the sap myself. She could have had children, friends, maybe even someone she loved, and in one selfish act you took that all away. And you would take away the one memory she has left? You disgust me."

He turned and Caleem nodded, picking up Azmaria and exiting the tree.

The nymphs drew away from their Elder like he was a disease. Vine shook his head and walked away, Talia in tow.

"What do we do?" Talia whispered. "By this act the Elder has made enemies of us all. The keromedio will not let this stand. If this Ginger was dear to her, she will demand vengeance, and our Law forbids us to give up even one of our number."

Vine sighed, feeling very old. "She was not in the sap long enough to complete the process. There is still the possibility that the keromedio might jog her memory, or the sap's doing will fade. We have never submerged a half-human. It might still be undone. The keromedio might recognize her. She looks similar to us but she is...unique."

"But what if she does not remember? And what if the keromedio does not recognize her? What then?"

Vine looked at his sister. "Then we will not tell her."

She gasped and he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Tell the nymphs that I want lots to be cast for...our first leader. Put me and choose two others to prepare for a council tomorrow. The world is changing, and we need to organize."

"But that conflicts with our very nature!"

Vine shook his head. "The moment nymphs could fall in love with humans, was the moment our nature was changed. The moment a nymph could make a choice out of selfishness and not for us all, was the moment we needed a leader. We are corrupted, Talia."

Talia nodded, thinking back on the ogre she had taken and how she'd delighted not just in his body, but in his difference. Other races were...alluring to her now. These were things she'd never questioned let alone thought about. What was happening to her?

"So if you become our leader, and the keromedio finds out about us, you will fight her?" Talia said.

Vine crossed his arms. "Fighting her is not the point of this. We can't have nymphs following blindly because another nymph said to do something. He essentially told them to kill her, and they obeyed like children. We are amoral, but not all of us are anymore, certainly not him, and certainly not me."

"And will you protect him? If she seeks him out?"

Vine thought about it and honestly could not find a straight answer. This frightened him.

"Gharla, what have you done to me?"

"What?"

"Nothing. Just...he is safe. For now."

Talia nodded and ran back to deliver the message. Vine rushed to meet up with Caleem.

"Ugh...I don't deserve this."

Zyra laid against a rock in the river near her home. The cool water soothed the bruises on her body, and she discovered a burn mark on her knee. She would have Medean heal it whenever he stopped pouting and came back. In the meantime, she was glad to be free of grime. She almost felt—

A pair of hands cupping her breasts.

"AH!"

Turning, she pushed the figure off, whipping around for her weapon. She grasped it, naked and angry as two nymphs rolled away from her screams.

"What the hell is the matter with you?"

"Your body is so enticing. It invited me curvaceous one."

"The hell it did! Give me one reason not to skewer you!"

The female nymph hid behind the one named Caleem, who stared at her openly until she splashed water in his eyes. Zyra kept her eyes out for any vines and threw on her clothes, glad her rage made it impossible for her to give any actual invitations.

She lifted her sword and dried it menacingly.

"Talk Caleem. And I'd better like what comes out of your face because I have half a mind to shove anything I don't like back in with my fist."

"FriendZyra, I...have someone I'd like you to meet."

"So you think a female has a better chance of wooing me than— " her voice cut off mid objection. Before her was the most peculiar nymph that she had ever seen. With a light blue skin, a slender but more pear shaped body and curly green vines as opposed to the straight uniform ones, she looked...familiar?

"Who are you?"

The nymph smiled at her and it made her prickle.

"Azmaria."

"Huh. Well um, nice to meet you I guess. What do you want?"

The nymph walked up to her, staring at her with her freakishly familiar blue eyes. I mean if she didn't know better, she'd almost say she looked like...Nah.

"Oy! Did you hear me? What do you need?"

"I had to find you."

"Why?"

The nymph woman twisted uncomfortably. "I don't know why."

Zyra glanced at the male nymph and he flinched.

"Well this is a productive conversation. Caleem, anything to add?"

"...she was—"

"Just found." They turned to see Vine, his face surprisingly grave. "She accidentally fell in the Sap of memory which is what we use for our newborns, and so it will take time for her recollection. We were hoping you could tell us who she is."

"How would I know her?" She looked over the nymph, feeling uneasy.

"We are not sure, but she asked for you," Vine said, "Usually we place new or old nymphs into the sap, and I have never seen this tadpole, so she is likely freshly made."

"But she's...different."

Vine ruffled Azmaria's hair. "How strange it is. Maybe this is a sign we too will become more varied like the children of Shyla."

"The ogres?"

"Landers. You too are considered a child of Shyla."