MonsterVille

Mellie turned on her heels, her attention riveted to the approaching monster. He was striking for the fact he was not handsome, as many monsters tended to be—as if he had no need to concern himself with such trivial notions. He wore an older visage, a man in his sixties or seventies. His skin was of a light complexion and wrinkled, his lips were thin with a slight protruding nose. He was too angular, his jaw too strong. Mellie was tempted to call him ugly, although there was something distinguished about his features.

He tilted his head appraisingly, his light brown hair waving in the breeze as he walked forward. Although walked implied a simple motion, he moved with the grace of darkness and the swift deliberation of death. Each strike of his foot on the earth was sounding the drums of war, and his eyes? They were soulless. Not dark, or twisted, there was no blazing light or coal black, they were just ordinary human eyes of a dark brown colour. But there was nothing in them, no emotion, no thought or feeling. If eyes were the windows to the soul there was nobody home.

“Well said, for if we cannot keep what is ours, what right do we have to it?” the man stated.

Elyse inclined her head graciously to the newcomer. “Nicodemus, I bid you welcome. I did not hear you announced, otherwise I would have personally greeted you.”

Nicodemus shrugged, “Gates and announcers are so gauche, I prefer to make my own entrance.”

Nicodemus. Mellie thought, so this old man was Nicodemus. The monster that monster’s feared. The one who had sent the Blemmyes to slaughter Brannaugh and his ilk. He wasn’t what she had expected.

“Has the party already begun?” Another voice boomed. The previously empty space around the Mayor had grown substantially, the revelling monsters pulling back to a nearly comical position as Bacchus walked forward. His strong Grecian appearance made a stark contrast to the old man opposite him, as did the two women flanking to either side of him—bacchii bedecked in gleaming white togas, their thyrsus striking the ground with each step they took.

“Those two girls,” River said very quietly, “they’re from Brannaugh’s harem.”

Payment from Brannaugh? Mellie wondered. Or gifts from Nicodemus…

Bacchus drew to a halt an equal distance from the Mayor, opposite to Nicodemus. There was a power rolling off of him, an energy that incensed his Bacchii and sent a soft wave of frenzy through the crowd. River took a half step closer to her, the warmth of his body pressing into her side. She would have laughed at the absurdity if she wasn’t be stilled by fear herself. He thought she could protect him? He thought he was safe by her side? The Mayor, Bacchus or Nicodemus could have crushed her with a glancing blow, she was an ant beside titans, and all she had for defence was their sense of decorum. How she missed Katie-Cam, what Mellie wouldn’t have given to have her friend by her side.

“Come now, you’re frightening the children.” A woman’s voice sliced through the quiet, a woman who casually strolled up beside Bacchus and threw an arm around his shoulders. He didn’t remove her, neither did he seem particularly happy about her blasé attitude towards him.

“Oh perfect,” Mellie muttered, half to herself, half to River. “Aysilu.”

“Apex?” River guessed, his voice pitched just as low.

“Yep.”

Aysilu was from Mongolian or Tataran lore, Mellie wasn’t a hundred percent clear. But she was a party animal, she frequented every haunt in the town, was on first name basis with pretty much every bar tender, and from what Mellie had heard she was a riot. She was fun loving, generous, and a beast in the sack—and she wasn’t shy about getting around. Sounded pretty perfect except for the niggling fact that every now and then a human would go missing. From the breeding farms, from private collections and Aysilu was always nearby. She had never, and likely would never, be accused, but the rumours abounded and every monster held tight to their human leashes when she was near. And of course she was Apex—the main reason no one would ever shine a light on her human-klepto-proclivities.

“Lady Aysilu,” Elyse offered warmly, “I welcome you, but honestly I have my announcers for a reason.”

“The gentlemen at the gate?”Aysilu cooed, “They were rather preoccupied by the rabble. I didn’t want to bother the poor dears when I could so easily let myself in.” Aysilu waved a hand through the mist above her, scooped it between her fingers and then let it disperse back into the air.

“It’s a ward.” Mellie breathed out. She felt stupid for not realising it before. The mist was of Elyse’s creation to prevent any unwelcome monster from attending her Harvest—an elitist touch—and those three Apex’ had walked right on in. Defying the Mayor’s authority? Or just making a statement that they were not bound by the same rules as everyone else. Either way it came off as a challenge and the tension rose a notch.

“Are we throwing down early this year?”

Mellie jumped. There was a man beside her. He had just appeared, no steps, no displaced air at his arrival. One moment the space was empty, the next he was casually standing beside her as if he had been there the entire time. Six foot, dark wavy hair, five o’clock shadow.

“Usually we wait till after the feast,” he confided to Mellie in a mock-conspiratorial tone that carried to everyone. He made a big show of cracking his knuckles and stretching his back with a few half turns, “Well alrightio, let’s do this.”

“We’re not throwing down Indreas,” Elyse chastised gently.

“We’re not?”

“We aren’t?” Aysilu echoed, “But muuuum,” she mock complained.

“No we aren’t,” Elyse said firmly, “What we are going to do is take our leave, we have affairs to discuss before the Eclipse.”

Indreas and Aysilu exchanged a glance, but said nothing more. Bacchus also fell in line. Nicodemus however paused, he turned his attention towards Mellie.

“Nicodemus,” Elyse called.

His gaze slowly returned to her, that empty soulless gaze that showed his contempt for her edicts.

“Melanie my dear, I should like to speak with you at the Feast, you shall join me at my table.” He wasn’t offering. Elyse looked like she wanted to protest, but only for a moment before she silenced herself.

Mellie swallowed, “It,” she cleared her throat, “It would be my pleasure.”

“Of course it would.” Nicodemus agreed.

“Affairs?” River asked quietly, “What do you think that means?”

Mellie watched the retreating forms of the Apex as they mounted the crest and vanished into the mist. “I don’t think we want to know.”