Chapter 8: The Wetlands (Part 1)
The next day went by in a blur. Gabrielle had arrived early that morning. She excitedly chatted all day about what Cordelia and Lyonis would do on their date. But the constant talk about it had made Cordelia more and more nervous. She had never been on a date before. But she felt that thinking it to death wouldn't change a thing. So, to run away from the thoughts, she poured herself into her work.
She released Gabrielle early that day and gave her the next day off. Despite Gabrielle offering to work the apothecary solo in two days, Cordelia felt like she was taking advantage of her young apprentice. She forbade the redhead from coming to work the next day and instructed her to enjoy herself.
…
The doorbell chimed as she walked the final customer of the day to the front door. The tall and thin, dark-skinned man held a small linen pouch in one arm. His left hand was wrapped carefully with bandages.
"Thank ya kindly, Madame." He raised his injured hand, "This is feeling better already."
"I'm very pleased to hear that, Mr. Fidèle. Please come back if you run into any more trouble. Take care of yourself."
He gave her a slight nod before stepping out into the street. She stood in the doorway and took a moment to breathe in the chilling evening air. The sky filled with billowing clouds that swirled like fire, illuminated by the rays of the setting sun. She was just about to turn back inside when she heard a voice call out to her.
"Wait! Madame VonElise!" a small boy around ten years old sprinted towards her, his arm waving over his head to grab her attention. He halted in front of her, hands on his knees, chest heaving to catch his breath.
"Sorry… to bother you… so late, Madame… but we found something… we think you might want to see." He stood up, eyes glinting with excitement, "They hauled in a monster!"
A monster? This piqued her interest. All the giant reptilian monsters that lived in the swamps had been forced far back into the deepest and most inaccessible parts of the dense wetlands surrounding the city. They were huge, vicious creatures four times larger than humans with black obsidian scales, long skinny limbs, red eyes, and whiplike tails. Krillim. Ancient and evil creatures. Unless you traveled across the bayou to the mainland, sightings were minimal, especially when nights were still cold. Most krillim wouldn't be emerging from their hibernation for another few weeks.
"Quick! Follow me!" With a flick of her wrist, Cordelia nodded and locked up the apothecary behind her.
...
Cordelia followed the boy the few blocks down to the dock, where a large crowd had already started to form. Excited and nervous whispers dispersed through the group. Cordelia could see the massive creature lying on the dock far before they reached the crowd.
The boy took his escorting job seriously. He confidently boosted as they walked up, "Make way! Make way! Madame VonElise is coming through!"
The crowd turned to look at her and parted, letting her through. The natives of Ville Marais were highly superstitious, and every significant catch needed to be honored with a series of carefully planned rituals. Whenever giant creatures were caught or found, the locals would always call Cordelia to come to offer a blessing. They believed that ignoring these would cause hurricanes, flooding, and disaster. Cordelia couldn't help but agree.
The land around Ville Marais was teeming with wild, mystical energy. She had felt it intensely when she arrived so many years ago and remembered how her blood felt electrified. As if a violent storm and lightning coursed through her veins. Disrupting or angering that energy could be dangerous.
She strolled quietly up to the giant creature hoisted up onto the dock. Whispers from the crowd halted as she approached it. Their eyes followed her. The massive creature filled the entire width of the cobblestone dock, blocking the path completely. Part of its body and limbs spilled over the edge into the water. Cordelia sighed painfully. The sight filled her with great sadness. To lose such a magnificent creature was never a good omen.
The giant alligator was about 20 fost in length (15 meters). Its black-scaled skin was covered in old scars, soft moss, and dark green algae. Cordelia stepped up to its broad head. Ivory teeth lined the crease of its once-powerful jaws. She rested her hands on its large snout and closed her eyes. Faint electricity sparkled through her fingers as soon as her skin touched the cool, wet surface. It flowed up her arms, through her chest, and down into her toes. It was a warm feeling, without fear or anger. Her mind filled with images of murky river bottoms, sensations of cool water rushed past her skin, and the melodious song of birds and sounds from the swamp rang in her ears. Peace. And then, nothing. Tears flowed involuntarily down her cheeks.
"We found it in one of the main canals, Madame." One of the rivermen spoke up, breaking the silence, "It was blocking the path, couldn't get it moving. Dead when we found 'em. Took ten boats getting the thing back here. Never seen a gator this big before."
Cordelia opened her eyes, not taking her hands off the still face. Anger washed over her suddenly as if boiling water was thrown over her body. They should've left her out there, in her swamp! They had removed her from her peaceful resting place, and now…
Thunder growled from far over the swamp, billowing clouds grew black and blue, and flashes of lightning illuminated the sky. Nervous whispers broke out from the crowd.
"We should've never brought this thing back! You've gone and angered the swamp! I told y'all!" One of the rivermen yelled out suddenly.
"You know we couldn't left it there! It was on the main route. Would've drawn in the krillim and other gators! We couldn't take the risk!"
The arguing grew louder but distorted in Cordelia's ears as a high-pitched ringing rattled in her head. She felt breathless, sweat beaded on her forehead, and a cold chill ran down her back. She collapsed onto the ground in front of the great beast.
"Madame!" Arms reached out to steady her. Cordelia rubbed her head with shaky hands. Mauve Lavigne knelt beside her, rubbing her back. "Cordelia, are you ok?"
"Quit your bickering!" An old raspy voice shouted from the crowd. It parted, revealing an ancient woman. Time had withered her body away. Her eyes had failed her and were now a foggy white. She hunched over a knotted wood cane and hobbled slowly towards Cordelia and the giant alligator.
"Lady Ambrose…" Cordelia looked at the older woman as she walked toward her. Jezabelle Ambrose was 112 years old and was a treasured source of wisdom for the native people of Ville Marais. Even though she was human, Lady Ambrose possessed an incredible about of mana. While she couldn't use magic like Cordelia, she had a talent for fortune telling, premonitions, conversing with spirits, and offering blessings. People from around the world would come to have their fortunes told by the old woman.
There was unspoken respect shared between Cordelia and Jezabelle. While they didn't consider each other close friends, their differences singled them outside the average humans of the community, and this bonded them. Despite that, Lady Ambrose was still a hostile and rigid woman and was not easy to get along with.
Despite her lack of sight, Lady Ambrose moved as if guided by unseen forces. She walked right up to Cordelia and the gator, leaning so close to the leathered snout that her hooked nose almost grazed it. She grumbled to herself for a long time, standing still as stone. Cordelia gazed at the leather-skinned reptile. A darkness seemed to envelop it. She stood up with Mauve's help.
The arguing around her had reached new heights. Men started pushing one another, jabbing fingers, and shaking angry fists. The crowd grew to a panicked state, pointing at the ominous sky.
"We need to bring her back…." Cordelia's voice was quiet but drew silence from everyone. "This is no ordinary beast. Bringing her here was a mistake. She needs to go back." Lady Ambrose nodded in agreeance.
Nobody moved. The sound of thunder off in the distance was getting closer. It was not the rivermen's fault for unknowingly bringing such a magical creature back. Any other gator or beast wouldn't have evoked such a strong emotional response from her. Such a significant find would've helped provide the community with food, clothing, oil, and other valuable materials for a long while. The rivermen seemed to balk at her words. They appeared slightly annoyed and apprehensive.
"I said… you must take her BACK!" Cordelia's voice cracked. The anger she had felt clung to her, gripping her heels as if to pull her underwater into darkness.
"B-but Madame! It took us all day to get it here! It's dark now. It'll be dangerous heading back out there now." The rivermen pleaded guiltily, and fear stretched over their faces. "We'll put it back in the morning. Promise Madame, at first light!"
Cordelia looked at the alligator and then up at the enraged sky. No. There was no time for that. If they did not bring her back to the wetlands, it would come to take her back.
Lady Ambrose turned to face the crowd, "Madame VonElise is right. This gator should have been left alone. Removing it has angered the great goddess who protects the wetlands. The creature must go back." The old woman looked up at the sky, and as if on cue, a giant flash of lightning veined in the sky over them. Shocked gasps escaped the lips of those in the crowd.
"Get the boats ready. I'll come with you. She goes home tonight." Cordelia looked back at the gator. Her heart ached.
Despite the warnings from both her and Lady Ambrose, nobody moved. They all seemed shocked and confused, not knowing what to do next. Cordelia felt anger swell in her chest. Red dots flashed in her vision. She tightened her fists and felt her nails dig painfully into her palms. She suddenly felt Lady Ambrose place a shriveled, wrinkled hand on her forearm.
The woman whispered to her; her blinded gaze stared off into the crowd as if she saw something invisible. "Cordelia… this is not your anger. Do not act on it. Let it pass through you." Cordelia took a deep breath and tried to quiet the rage building in her chest.
"You heard her! We need to get moving!" A manly voice yelled out from over the crowd. Cordelia looked over and, to her surprise, saw Lyonis dressed in simple but expertly crafted formal attire. The deep maroon, high-collared jacket with gold buttoning was tailored to fit him perfectly. His black trousers were expertly tucked into shiny black dress boots. His dark brown hair was brushed to fall gracefully over his eyes. He ran his fingers threw his hair, pushing his wavy locks away from his eyes. Three other crewmates followed him, who were also dressed nicely. They looked as if they had just arrived from an important meeting.
Cordelia heard one of the men speak to Lyonis in their native tongue, obviously questioning whether or not they should intervene. He raised a hand, silencing the man beside him, who scowled in disgust.
Lyonis took off his jacket top and handed it to a muscular, imposing woman that stood behind him, giving his orders before rolling up his sleeves. He stepped closer to Cordelia, his eyes met hers, and he nodded. Ready to get to work.
Lady Ambrose spoke up, "The hands who brought the creature in must return it. Get the creature back in the water. You must be quick about it."
The elderly woman reached for Cordelia's hand, who automatically placed her palm in it.
"Cordelia…" Lady Ambrose's voice was almost a whisper. "You must get the creature back. She will guide you. Trust your instincts… But be wary. The swamp is unforgiving. Do not let her tempt you. Some things are not meant to be heard."
Cordelia gently squeezed her hand. The woman's cryptic words didn't make sense now, but she knew they would soon enough. "I understand. Thank you, Lady Ambrose."
It took a long hour for the rivermen to get the gator back in the water and attached to boats. Lyonis and five of his fellow crew members assisted. They helped secure the giant creature to ten small row boats. Lyonis and his crew borrowed a small boat, and the convoy began their journey back into the swamp.
Glowing lanterns were attached to the front of each canoe. Giving the group a solemn appearance. Angry clouds rolled over the sky, blanketing the world in eerie darkness, and they rowed further and further from the heart of the city into the deep swamp.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
deserttrash
deserttrash Your gift is the motivation for my creation. Give me more motivation! Creation is hard, cheer me up!
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