Ruby Red and Gentilberry Green: A Fantastical Romance - Part XIX

This is the nineteenth part of an ongoing serial. Here are Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, Seventeen and Eighteen. Updates every two days, barring minor mishaps.

It really wasn’t that much of a surprise, in retrospect. Things were terribly wrong to begin with. But when the realization hit Matilda, prompted by the shrieking of her two remaining knives, it was as sudden as a sprained ankle.

“Anne. She’s gone.”

Yhaga shrugged her hunched shoulders, a sickly light in her pinched face. She looked pleased, somehow.

“Well, then you should have acted sooner, shouldn’t you? This always happens.”

“That’s impossible,” said Matilda, eyes wide. “He can’t have… she has his power. I don’t know how much, but she has it. Some of it.”

“Don’t you underestimate my Necri,” said Yhaga. “He does tend to get rather petty when he’s upset.”

Matilda swore, loudly and suddenly, then kicked the bed. It felt like the house was about to crumble on her head - only in this case, she’d actually welcome it. She felt sick.

“You. How do I know you’re not lying to me?”

”You can’t,” said Yhaga with glee. ”Then again, does it really matter? Your niece is either off this world, or dead. And you’re still stuck here. She’s of no use to you anymore.”

“Say that about her again,” said Matilda, raising Woewarder, “and I’ll…”

”You’ll what, Matilda? Use your magical tableware on me? There’s not a thing you can do to me with either of your little toys. I don’t even exist.”

“There are certain ways around that,” said Matilda, hoarsely and quietly.

For a moment, Yhaga fell silent - then she began, once more, to cackle.

“Oh, Matilda, you foolish, foolish wench. You’re just the same as when I first saw you. Stubborn, two-faced, full of unintended consequences… now you’ve stuck yourself here and you can’t even get out.”

“I will destroy you,” said Matilda, white-lipped.

“No, you won’t. Not even Necri can bring himself to do that, and you’re no sorceress, darling. No, you’ll do exactly what I want, because it’s what you were planning in the first place. You know how much he pined for you.”

“I don’t have Hearthunter. Not anymore.”

“Like you needed that in the first place. It’s funny how words work in magic, isn’t it? Almost like a story.”

Matilda slammed her bandaged hand against the bedpost. The impact jarred her arm and set her teeth on edge, but it felt good to hit something. It made her feel less helpless. Like she could really think of a working plan, just as easily as she could hit that bedpost. But the anger was still there, and she didn’t even know why.

“What kind of monster would destroy her own son?” she hissed.

Yhaga gave her toothless grin. Her taut cheeks gleamed like a polished skull’s.

“The same kind that gives birth to another. I’ll leave you to it, darling.”