The Last Flowers Ch. 04

"Are you okay? What happened? Everyone's looking for you."

"I'm fine. And so is Sage."

"Are you serious?" She laughed. "That's fantastic! Where is she?"

"In the forest with a couple of new friends. And I know what's going on in the town. Not the men. That's something else. But the girls getting horny. You know, the thing."

She did know the thing.

"I knew there was something! What is it?"

"I'll explain, but I need to tell everyone. It's really important. Can you get as many of the older girls as you can? Get them to meet in the old orchard. Discretely."

"I can try."

"Thank you."

Aster climbed back over the fence and ran inside, leaving the pumpkin in the kitchen and grabbing her red ribbon. She tied it as she left the yard, hoping her mother wouldn't see her fleeing down the road. She slowed just before reaching Kerensa's house and climbed over the gate so she didn't disturb the cat. She knocked on the door and waited. No one in the town would be happy to have the red-ribboned slut on their doorstep, but if anyone was going to be more hospitable than most, it was probably the orange slut's father. Perhaps the sadness of the day made him understanding, because he gave her a nod and walked through the house to get his daughter. Kerensa came to the door with tear-stained cheeks. She ran to Aster and threw her arms around her neck.

"Oh, Aster, it's so awful," she sobbed.

She tried to push her back. "Kerensa, she's okay."

"What?"

"Sae, she's alive. I just spoke to her."

"Really?" Her eyes sparkled with hope.

"She wants us to meet in the old orchard." She pulled her outside. "Come on, we're going to need Abelia's help to get the others."

~

~*~:~*#S#*~:~*~

Sarielle crept into the dark shed at the back of the jeweller's shop. On the shelf of chemicals, she searched for something to help her situation, her hand falling upon a bottle of methylated spirits. She found a rag on the bench and saturated it with the liquid. Her skirt held out of the way, she rubbed the cloth over the sap gluing her butthole closed. It took a minute, but the solvent melted away the sticky substance. While she cleaned the last of it off, her eyes hunted for the other thing she needed. They had to have wire cutters here somewhere. She rummaged through the tools on the bench, but couldn't see any.

"What do you think you're doing?" boomed a male voice behind her.

She spun around, panicked. "Uh..."

"Sarielle?" The jeweller frowned. "Where have you been? You've had the whole town out looking for you."

The door to the shop opened and Camille stuck her head out. "What's going—?" she stared at Sarielle with her mouth open.

"Watch her, Camille. I'll get the patriarch." The jeweller left to get the lawman and Camille came down the steps to wait with Sarielle.

"You've had us all worried, child," she said.

"I didn't do it on purpose. There's a hexed tree that lured me into the forest."

Camille snorted. "A hexed tree?" She looked her over. "Just look at the state you're in. You're a mess. And why is your skirt ripped?"

"It attacked me."

She came closer to investigate, but didn't get a chance to say anything else before her husband and the patriarch arrived.

"Sarielle, where have you been?" demanded the town's governor.

"I was in the forest looking for our goats."

"Your goats were roaming free because the gates were left open. Tell me who could have done that, hmmm?"

She paused, shocked at what he was implying. "They were already gone when I got up. I left the gates open in my haste to find them."

He folded his arms. "Some believed you'd run away, yet you took no horse and now you've returned, so that's not the case. Other's thought you'd been killed by a forsaken creature."

"Sir," Camille interrupted.

"Yes?"

"Her clothes are ripped, and her belly is swollen." The woman rubbed Sarielle's tummy.

His face turned even sterner. "Check her lock."

Camille lifted her skirt and peered underneath. She stood up shaking her head. "She's not got it on, just rings in its place."

He grabbed her arm, violently shaking it. "You were off debasing yourself! While the village worried for you, you were spreading your legs." He dragged her out of the shed. "You have become a fully-fledged whore, Sarielle."

The jewellers followed, Camille running to catch the patriarch's arm. "Wait, you're assuming this was intentional."

He kept walking. "You're assuming it was not."

"Maybe it's the thing in the forest. She mentioned being attacked. Look at her. What kind of creature could impregnate her in such a way? She's been gone a mere day."

"I'm not pregnant!" Sarielle protested. "I'm just bloated."

"Fine, what creature could fill her with that much seed? Not any of our lands."

The patriarch turned on Sarielle. "What happened in the forest, girl?"

"There's an evil tree. Its pollen lures women and then it attacks them. That's what happened to the other girls, Sage and Yvette, and the woman long ago."

"A tree. Hmmf!" He pulled her behind him. "Trees can't attack people. What was it really, a centaur?"

"I'm telling you the truth. You need to listen to me."

People who had heard the commotion were coming out of their houses to stare and whisper.

"You're a shame to the village, whore. Running off to taint yourself with the largest genitals you can find, savouring their emission in your womb like a prize."

"I am not pregnant!" Sarielle shouted, trying to fight his pull. "You stupid old man."

There were gasps from the onlookers. Kerensa came from somewhere among them, running to her.

"Sae!" She tackled her in a hug. "I didn't know whether to cry in case you were dead or be angry at you for leaving me behind."

Sarielle patted her back. "Sorry. It wasn't deliberate."

The patriarch shoved Kerensa away hard enough that she fell to the ground. "Enough of this nonsense. Go home, girl."

He continued to drag Sarielle all the way to the Den of Absolution and shoved her inside. "Get on your knees and start begging."

Sarielle shook her head. "No."

His hand stuck her hard on the cheek, snapping her head to the side. He grabbed a fistful of her hair and forced her to the floor. "You have lowered yourself to the level of animals. Do not be surprised at being treated like one. Now, do as I say."

To save herself from further abuse, she remained on the floor until he moved away. She got up when she heard the bolt slide. The patriarch glowered at her through the barred window in the door as he fastened the lock.

"Repent," he hissed.

Sae sneered at him. "Fuck you."

His face grew more enraged. "You will regret your impertinence, whore."

"You're sick in the mind."

"It is you who is ill, whore," he spat and walked away.

Well, he seemed to have gotten worse since last time she'd spoken to him. He was as bad as the chancellor now.

Sarielle surveyed her bleak surroundings. The Den was one of the sturdiest buildings in the town. Made of stone, it had only the one window in the heavy door. There was a fireplace behind a tiny altar at which to pray, but no pillows to soften the stone floor or blanket to starve off the cold. The only other thing in the small room was a bucket. She wouldn't be brought food, but someone would be by later to preach and shame her into submission.

"Bollocks."

Now how was she going to get back to Ellowyn? There was another, more immediate, issue as well.

Her hand rubbed her abdomen and she eyed off the bucket. Her bowel had been objecting to its cargo for a while and now its path was unblocked she couldn't put it off any longer.

Sarielle kicked the bucket into the corner so it was hidden from anyone at the door. She squatted over it and pushed. A fruit strained her tender hole then popped free. The next slid downwards and with a push, it joined the first. Only one more came before her bowel refused to let another down. This was going to take some time. Willow had told her to get them out as soon as she could, and that massaging her intestines would help them come. She'd rid Sage of them that way in an hour.

An hour later Sarielle had only managed to get another two fruit out and was starting to worry the others would take hold and grow inside her.

The lock slid and the door opened. Sarielle got up from where she was sitting against the wall.

"Why were you not praying?" the chancellor asked.

"I had to relieve myself," Sarielle lied. Thinking it could be advantageous to lure them into a false sense of control, she knelt in front of the altar and pretended to pray.

The chancellor had a bucket of hot coals and set about building up a fire. When it was going, he lit the candles on the altar and started to talk about her wicked ways. Sarielle used the time to rest her eyes and brainstorm how to escape. There wasn't a lot to their religion. They had no sacred text or anything. And there certainly wasn't much about promiscuity in what had been handed down verbally. So the chancellor soon ran out of things to say and left. By then the sky was dark and she could smell something cooking from a nearby house. Her stomach reminded her that she hadn't eaten. But she forgot that when she heard voices approaching outside.

"You're to stay here and guard her until the meeting is over. Under no circumstance are you to speak to her or let anyone else near her," said a man.

"Yes, Father," replied a dainty voice that made Sarielle frown.

Sarielle suck over to the window and peered out, watching two men disappear down the street. "Evadne."

The girl twitched but didn't move from her spot a foot from the door. She had her back to her and refused to turn around.

"What's the meeting about?" She sighed. "Are the others safe? Talk to me! I'm trying to help you."

"I don't talk to girls like you."

"Girls like me? Evadne, you are a girl like me. What's that around your neck?"

"Shut up," she hissed.

"It's a mark that those crazy men made you wear."

She spun around to snap at her, "It's your fault I have to wear it."

Sae laughed. "My fault? You put your fingers in me first!"

Evadne gritted her teeth and turned back around.

"It was no one's fault. There's this enchanted tree in the wood that a sorcerer planted and its pollen makes girls do sexual things." She grabbed the bars. "Evadne, please. You have to believe me. I need help to destroy it before it does this to anyone else. Don't you want to get out of this town?"

"This is my home."

"They treat you like a dog. They've turned you against everyone. Who do you have that you can call a friend?"

Evadne glanced back at her and looked down, her expression insecure. Then she squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. "You're trying to trick me so I'll let you out."

"I'm not. I know that would get you in trouble." A stabbing pain gripped her abdomen and she felt another fruit bearing down. "Oww"

Evadne clung to the bars. "What's wrong?"

"It's fruit from the tree," Sarielle said, pacing across the room. "It put them inside me."

When she heard no response, she looked at the door, but Evadne couldn't be seen from where she was. A few moments later she heard a voice.

"Good, girl. Go now. I will watch the sinner."

Recognising her uncle's voice, Sarielle rushed to fall before the altar. She hid her face between her outstretched arms on the floor. He started berating her from outside the door. They were horrible words, worse than anyone else's and filled with resentment of being related to her. She was glad he didn't have the key.

All of Sarielle's attention was on the fruit, trying to hold it in until she was sure he was gone. When she thought it was safe, she crawled over to the wall and brought her knees up. Her muscles moved on their own, spitting a fruit out onto the floor. The next only needed a little push. The pressure and the desire for them to be out, made her sweat. The small pile grew along with the soreness of her arse. Another dropped from her burning rear and she was finally empty. She felt the gaping hole and let out a whimper. It was so puffy and sore. Would it go back to normal?

It hurt when she got up to collect the smooth-skinned fruit. Willow had told her to burn them and warned not to get any juice on her fingers.

Sarielle tossed them all into the fire, watching them sizzle and spit in the flames. She was expecting to have more lectures, but no one came. Maybe they planned on keeping her here for more than three days?

Late that night she woke to a noise. It was dark and the fire was embers.

"Sae?" hissed a voice.

Sarielle got up off the cold floor and came over to the door. "Hi."

Kerensa was smiling at her. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Any chance you could get me some food? I haven't eaten since yesterday."

She pulled an apple out of her apron and jammed it through the bars. "Already covered."

"What happened at the meeting?" Sarielle took a bite from the fruit.

"Lots of talk about you being depraved and ravaged by forbidden creatures, people can't decide which one. And that we're supposed to be kept from visiting you, but I guess my father forgot to tell anyone that I sleep in a barn."

"How's my father?"

"He sat there ignoring everyone and then left half way through."

Yet he hadn't come to see if she was all right? That hurt, but why was she so disappointed? Why did she expect anything more from him?

"So what's the real story?" Kerensa asked.

"It's pretty long. Can you help me out of here?"

"Sure." She disappeared into the darkness and Sarielle was alone for several minutes.

Something hit the stone at the back of the building and rustling came from the thatched roof. A hand appeared in a small hole by the corner and ripped at the stalks. No one lived in the building, so the roof was in disrepair and it wasn't too hard for Kerensa to work the hole to a size big enough for a small elhuven to fit through. She lowered the ladder and Sarielle put it against the wall. Once she'd climbed onto the roof, she pulled it up after her and they carefully positioned it on the ground so they could climb down.

"When I was in there, all I could think of was setting the place alight." Kerensa gazed at the building. "Just to watch it burn."

"Perhaps that could be arranged sometime."

She looked at Sarielle. "You can come stay with me."

Sarielle wanted to get back to Ellowyn, but she couldn't find her in the dark and she hadn't spoken to the other women yet. The nymph would be okay. She knew to get to a safer distance.

Kerensa returned the ladder on the way and they stayed silent until they reached the barn at the back of her house.

"This is where I sleep," she said, opening a stall that was meant for horses. It had a bed of clean hay spread out on the floor and a blanket she must have snuck from the house. Kerensa picked up the snoozing cat and sat down with him in her lap. "So, what happened?"

Sarielle shut the gate and sat beside her. "Well, when I got up this morning the goats were gone."

***

Sarielle watched from behind a tree in the orchard, waiting for someone to arrive. After telling Kerensa everything last night, she'd feared the girl would be scared off. Instead, she was raring at the chance to help and couldn't wait until morning. Sarielle had stolen away at dawn to hide, ready for her to bring the others as soon as it was safe.

Two figures headed her way, checking over their shoulders as they left the town behind. It looked like Kerensa and Arletta. A few minutes later three more snuck over from another direction. Nessa, Aster, and...

"Heaven and Earth, they managed to get Evadne?"

But there was no sign yet of the girl she most wanted to see, the one she planned to take with her even if no one else came.

The first group had made it to the trees, Kerensa proudly marching Arletta over. "I think we got everyone."

Arletta and Nessa were both twenty and hardly ever said anything to Sarielle so she figured a wave was sufficient.

"Thanks for coming."

Aster was a recluse these days, but Sarielle gave her a smile as she approached and took her hands. "Thank you."

She was about to ask her about Hevani when she saw two women covertly walking along the tree line. Of course, Abelia had to get Hevani because neither Aster nor Kerensa were meant to converse with her.

While she waited for them to arrive, Sarielle smiled at Evadne, who had chosen to stand further back. "I'm glad you decided to come."

Evadne turned her head in reply.

It was a painful couple of minutes until the last two got there. Amazingly, they'd managed to assemble every unmarried woman over eighteen. But then, that said something about the situation that they all wanted to know what she'd learned.

Hevani broke away from Abelia to jog over and hug Sarielle. She didn't say anything, just clung to her and cried silently. Abelia also took a spot at the back. Guess she was still a little upset about the ribbon in the dirt incident.

Hevani stepped back and Sarielle found everyone staring at her. She took a deep breath. "So, um...I guess you're all wondering where I went yesterday and what I discovered."

"Did you really find Sage?" Abelia interrupted.

"Yes, alive and well."

"Then where is she?"

Sarielle sighed. "I'll get to that. Anyway, before our ancestors lived here this was all part of the forest and a tribe of tree nymphs lived here. But a sorcerer stole the land and planted two trees that block magic. One of them is just through there." She pointed into the woods. "And it happens to release aphrodisiac pollen that makes women extremely aroused."

Arletta snorted.

"Mock me if you wish, but everyone here with a ribbon knows what I'm talking about. And I'm thinking some of you without them do too. This tree is what lures women into the forest. That's what happened to Sage. And Yvette." The mention of her name made the women uneasy. "The tree also drained the nymphs' power and turned them into trees. I know all this because one told me everything after I revived her. Sage also survived her encounter with the tree and found a nymph. Her name is Willow and she's very kind. They seem happy living together."

"If she's alive why hasn't she come back to visit us?" Abelia asked.

"She can't get past the tree. You see, in order to revive the nymphs you have to be sexually intimate with them, but that means over time the tree starts to affect you too."

Abelia was horrified. "What?!"

"Are you joking?" Aster asked.

"She's as loopy as the village," Nessa whispered to Arletta.

"Shut up. She's not crazy," Kerensa snapped.

Sarielle glared at them. "Nor am I joking. The idea might disgust you, but that's the only way to save them. I wish I could have brought one with me so you could see how kind they are. They're beautiful, gentle creatures, young women, just like us."

Abelia raised her hand. "Why don't you tell the patriarch?"

"I did. He didn't believe me. We're going to have to do something about it ourselves. This tree is a danger to both our kinds and it needs to be destroyed. The nymphs want to help us, not just in taking down the tree, but with escaping this place. I think we can all agree that this town has gone a little insane and leaving is one of the few options we have at this point. The nymphs have offered us sanctuary, all of us, regardless of if we chose to fight or aid their friends."

Most of the faces around her were blank, but Kerensa was smiling.

"It's a lot to take in, but you don't have to decide today. The offer doesn't expire." She threaded her fingers together and looked over the sea of blank faces. "Would anyone like to join me?"

"I'm in!" Kerensa bounced over and gave her a hug, surprising Sarielle with her eagerness. "I've been waiting for you to run away for years so I could come with you."