Heart of Dorkness

Monster Sixteen - Goodbye

“Are you nervous?” Mom asked.

“No,” I lied.

I didn’t have that much stuff packed away. One bag with a few essentials. A purse with some gold, in case I needed to buy anything. I didn’t even have a knife or anything of the sort. I wasn’t trained to use any weapon, so it wouldn’t make sense to bring one. Besides, I had a bunch of little friends on me.

“That’s good,” Mom said. “You don’t have anything to worry about.”

“I know,” I said. I was happy she was trying to comfort me. It helped a lot.

We were walking down from the part of the castle we mostly lived in. I’d been living with Mom for... was it two years already? There were still entire sections I hadn’t explored yet. Strange rooms, armories with ancient weapons, towers filled with laboratories where dried out specimens rotted in jars.

One day I’d explore all of my home, but that wasn’t for today.

Today was something else.

Once, a long, long time ago, I’d promised Mom that I would help her out with things. I think we both forgot about that along the way.

I could remember Mom asking me what I wanted in life, what my goal was... I glanced up to Mom. She was a step above and behind me on one of the spiralling staircases that lead to the ground floor.

She blinked and met my gaze for a moment, an eyebrow rising while I grinning up at her.

I didn’t honestly know what I wanted yet, but I was happy anyway. I had Mom, and a home, and magic and books. There wasn’t much else I could ask for. Maybe a friend or two? But that would come in time, I figured.

Today I was going to run a simple errand for Mom.

“I can’t see any way for you to turn this into a disaster,” Mom said, “which is why I expect to be surprised.”

“Mom,” I whined, “I’m not going to mess this up. It’s a cake-walk.”

“It is, and yet for all the confidence I have in you, I still expect to see this all turn into some horrific mess. Perhaps even one with international repercussions.”

“Mom!” I said. I placed my hands on my hips and turned to pout up at her.

She made that little laughing noise, and there was a twist to the corner of her eyes. She was teasing me!

“I shouldn’t have given you lessons on momtiquette,” I muttered.

“Ah yes, those. I don’t know how often I need to repeat myself, Valeria, but I hardly need to learn how to behave around people, you most of all.”

“That makes it sound like you’ve forgotten the very first and most important rule of momtiquette. ‘The daughter is always right,’” I lectured.

Mom huffed, and I couldn’t help but laugh as I hopped down a few steps.

“We should go over the task one more time,” she said.

I rolled my eyes, but there was no escaping it. “Fine,” I said.

“What is your task?” Mom proded.

“To go to Santafaria and get some books.”

“Indeed,” Mom said. “And why am I sending you on this task?”

“Because the shipment is late,” I replied. “I’m supposed to pay attention on the way there, in case the books are already on their way.”

“You are,” Mom agreed. “The wyverns have more acute vision than you. Trust their senses with that. They already know to be on the lookout for a small caravan.”

I nodded. That made sense.

“And if you do arrive in Santafaria, what are you to do?”

“Visit your temple there. There should be someone that works there that can help me. I’m looking for someone called... uh, Javier Juárez. He’s a big chubby fellow who works as a merchant. He’s a member of the merchant’s guild and a trader. Most of all, he’s one of your worshippers.”

“Indeed. I have blessed him with protection from my monsters on his many travels, and with many opportunities. The least of which is this trade agreement.”

I nodded. “We need to secure our books.”

“It’s hardly that important,” Mom said. “Securing nurishment is more important, as well as obtaining the occasional luxury good. These things are also often tended to by traders like Mister Juárez. The books are late though.”

“They are! I can’t stand it when stuff’s late.”

“Your lack of patience has been noted before.”

I laugh as I make it down the last few steps.

“There’s more to the task. I don’t expect you to have much difficulty, but if you do, you can rely on the wyverns I sent with you. Your first priority is...” she led.

“To keep myself safe,” I replied, finishing the sentence. “I’ll be fine, Mom.”

“I know, I’m just...”

“You can say that you’re worried,” I said. Reaching up, I grabbed her hand. It was so much bigger than mine, and cold too. I had to hold it close to warm it up. “I won’t judge you for it. Besides, whenever you leave the castle I get worried too.”

“In that case, I’ll admit that I will be worried,” Mom said.

I squeezed her hand, and used the other to push the door to the courtyard before the house open. There was a small balcony leading down with a pair of sweeping staircases to a ground that was covered in precisely set bricks. A whole flight of wyverns was roosting there, waiting for me.

The statues along the sides of the castle, all of them of great dragons and stone monsters, were looming above us and casting long shadows against the barren space before the castle.

Livonas wasn’t around. She sometimes slept by the front door, like a puppy waiting for her master to come out and play. Not that she was the only Scourge to putter about the castle and make a mess of... well, I guess we didn’t really have a lawn.

I was waffling. “Whelp, I guess this is it?” I asked.

Mom nodded, then she glanced up, a hand reaching to the sky just as a bird-like monster swooped by. It left a box in her outstretched hand before fluttering off. “This is for you,” she said as she lowered then opened the box.

“What is it?” I asked.

I took it, and tore off the ribbons and ties to get to the meaty present inside.

I found cloth. A thick material, of a purple so dark it’s almost black. “Oh,” I said as I pulled it out and held it before me, the empty box thumping onto the ground. The cloak unfurled. It had pretty flowers embroidered on the sides, and it felt warm and soft in my hands. “Pretty,” I said. The clasp, for around the neck, was a silver brooch with some sort of little gem in its middle, shaped like flowers woven together.

“Iris, edelweiss and lavender,” Mom said. “Here, let me put it on you.”

I gave it to her, then stood still as Mom wrapped the cloak over my shoulders, clasped the front on carefully, then paused.

I grinned up at her. “Thanks Mom.”

“It will keep you safe, and your identity secure.”

“It is a pretty big hood,” I agreed.

“Through magic,” she replied. “My silly, irreverent daughter.”

I laughed. “Oh, okay. You’ll need to teach me how to do that!”

“When you return, perhaps.”

She leaned down and planted a kiss on my forehead.

My face flamed right up. “Mom!” I said.

“I thought you enjoyed such things?” she asked.

“Not in front of the wyverns!” I huff. Mom can be so... Mom sometimes. I stepped forward and hugged her tight-tight. “Thanks though.”

She hugged me back. “You’re welcome.”

Eventually the hug ended, and I picked up my pack with all of my stuff, then laughed as I skipped down to the biggest of the wyverns. He had a saddle on his back with room for someone between his shoulders, and some saddlebags for my pack.

I hopped up, and with some scrambling, managed to climb into the saddle. I wasn’t too sure about the whole flying thing, but Mom did it all the time, so it couldn’t be that bad.

Mom walked over next to the wyvern and petted its neck, the big monster warbling at the affection. “Be careful, Valeria.”

“I will be,” I said. “Don’t miss me too much?” I asked.

“I’ll try not to,” she replied. Then Mom glanced away, and it was her turn to blush a bit. “Return safely and... and remember that you’re a good daughter.”

“Uh, yeah, I’m not about to forget that. I’m a good daughter because I have the best mom.” I nodded. “Love you Mom.”

Mom took a step back, and I could sense her ordering the wyvern to move. “I love you too, Valeria.”

The wyvern took off to the sound of great wingbeats and my laughter--and then terrified screaming because holy heck they were going high off the ground--on the wind.

***