Heart of Dorkness

Terror Thirty-Three - Acacia

I adjust one of my butterbutts so it’s more in line with the others. Felix and I have cleared out some of the leaves and the topmost layer of dirt on a patch of the forest. I have room to work with now.

All of my little friends are laid out in more or less neat rows. It’s hard to get them to line up, especially since they’re not all identical to begin with. I have about two dozen butterbutts, three shinies--those are the smart little beetles that can transmit messages to Monsters.

Next to those are four echos. They’re little cricket fellows who can zip around real fast and are good at repeating things and noises.

Of course there’s my squirter, in case we run into any locks. That’s a good precaution, I figure.

And finally, of course, there are about three dozen hummy boys. Hummy boys aren’t the stealthiest of my combat friends. They’re long, with dragonfly-like wings near their middle they can fold back to make themselves smaller. They have big mandibles that can inject a really painful venom, and their long tails have two little blades on the end they can swipe across someone when they fly past them.

They’re very dangerous, at least against anything with skin.

That’s about all the little friends I have that I think I can bring with me. It’s not that many, but I need to be able to hide them on my person, which is pretty important. That, and I’m tired, and the day is moving on. The token in my pocket feels like it’s burning away at me.

“I think we should head back now,” I say as I get up. “Do you mind carrying some of my little friends with you?”

“I... don’t, I guess,” Felix says. “You mean in my arms, right?”

I look at her.

“My arms, right?”

Felix isn’t super happy when I explain that no, I meant just about everywhere but her arms. “They won’t crawl all over you. You’ll probably even forget they’re on you.”

“I don’t know,” Felix says.

“Just a few of them,” I reply. “If they make you nervous, we can have you carry just the non-lethal ones.”

“Lethal?”

“That means those can kill you.”

“I don’t want to die because of a bug,” Felix says.

I snort. “None of them are technically bugs. Their body isn’t made the right way for that. They’re not even technically insects. See, most don’t have six limbs, which is usually the big giveaway.”

Felix’s mouth twists in distaste, and she turns her head away before sighing. “Okay, but not right on me.”

I grin as I pick up some of my cuter little friends, not that they’re not all really cute. “Look, they’re perfectly safe. If you feel them wiggling into you, that ‘s just them giving you a teeny tiny hug.” I didn’t have any of my burrowing friends along, so no risk of one of them digging into her skin or anything like that too!

The trip back to the city is done with much fussing from Felix as she tries not to scratch at the friends under her clothes. I can’t help but laugh at the way she jitters. But it’s best she gets used to them now before we try to sneak into someplace dangerous.

I walk hand in hand with Felix as we approach the gate. I’m worried about the guards inspecting us, or maybe asking about my cloak. The weather is on the warmer side, so maybe I can say it’s for the sun?

We reach the gate behind a donkey-pulled cart filled with what looks like bundles of wheat, and... no one stops us as we move right on in. I guess we either look like we’re not threats, or none of the guards are really paying attention.

I’d complain about them being lax if it weren’t in my favour, so I’ll just keep mum about that.

“Where to now?” Felix asks.

I consider it for a moment. I have a long list of things that need doing, but they can wait. I squeeze Felix’s hand tighter. “How about the temple of Acacia?” I ask. “It shouldn’t be too far from the place where Esme said the Academy is, and we can snoop around while we’re there.”

“The temple... for my eyes?” Felix asks.

“Yeah, sure,” I say. I can’t help the huge grin on my face. Felix has been a great friend, even if I’ve only known her for a day or two.

Felix doesn’t so much walk next to me as she skips. I’m pretty sure her smile could be weaponized, it’s so bright and cheerful. It’s not just her body language, though, I can feel the wind shifting around her in happy little swirls, kicking up dust off the road around us and filling the air with.... well, joy. Happy swirls dance around us and the wind whistles like cheery birdsong.

I don’t think I’ve ever been so close to so much Joy magic unfettered and loose. It’s strange but nice. The laughter comes easy, and I can imagine people getting addicted to the contagious smiles.

The people we cross tend to look at us weirdly, but only for a moment before they move on with a content smile and maybe a cheery wave that Felix returns with great gusto.

I almost get lost, what with Felix distracting me and the roads of Montele not exactly being straight. But I think I’m doing alright navigating the city. It’s not too hard to figure out where the temples are, especially once we get closer to them, and their spires and towers poke up over the roofs of all the nearby buildings.

We cross the temple of Spectalum, with its big mirrors and huge stained-glass walls. The temple is as big as it is ostentatious, with fountains and pretty young people sitting around outside of it.

Then there’s the much more subdued temple to the Three Goddesses. Technically, I suppose it’s three separate temples, but the buildings are super close together and they all have a similar look to them. There isn’t even a fence between each of them, so people can easily cross over from one to the next.

The road opens up onto a wide square, with some statues in its centre and a few planters with flowering trees. Stalls selling sweet fruits and honey-dipped nuts line the sides and even Felix’s over abundance of joy gets lost in the hustle and bustle of the place.

The temple of Acacia is a large facility. It’s wide and walled, with a proper building at the rear, but the entire front-most section is made up of a large platform with columns on it, each as wide around as my arm span, and tall enough that I need to stretch my neck way back to see where they reach the ceiling.

They’re painted in soft greens, the columns decorated with carvings of birds and deer, and people in a state of undress that has my cheeks warming.

It’s all very pretty though. The temple has a small yard around it, with large bushes and patches of flowers, and, of course, a few big trees. As I walk in, still holding onto Felix, I can almost feel the serenity enveloping the area.

It’s a place of healing and also a place where people pass away. Not painful, but still.

“This area feels strange,” Felix whispers. She’s smiling, but there’s a curious edge to it. Her joy is still in the air, but it’s wrapped around us, snug instead of reaching out and touching everything.

“This is a temple of healing, a sombre place, where grief allows for rebirth,” an older gentleman says as he steps closer. He’s a broad-shouldered man, with big muscles his robes do little to hide. I’d think him a warrior or something if he weren’t unarmed, barefooted, and looked so... not quite sad, but close. Weary, maybe. “Welcome to the temple of Acacia, young ones. How may we assist you?”

“Are you a priest?” I ask.

He nods. “I am.”

“Oh,” I say. Acacia is famous for her priestesses, so I’d kind of expected that there should only be women here. I think some of that shows on my face because the big man nods to me.

“Acacia doesn’t discriminate. It is merely that more women tend to resonate with her teachings than men. Nonetheless, I’m certain I can help.”

That’s good enough for me, I guess. “My friend, Felix, she’s blind. We, ah, wanted to see if you could help.”

“To lose your sight, and so young,” he murmurs. “Come, we will observe, we will pray, and, goddess willing, perhaps we can remove one small blight of sadness from this world.”

With that, the priest turns and shuffles deeper into the temple.

Of course, we follow.

***