Hencacount

Darkness. Void. It clings to her. It wraps around her legs, up her thighs and to her stomach continuing to wrap its limbs around her throat. It envelopes her ear and pries in where it whispers...

Dahlia opens her eyes. She feels like she had the best rest of her short life and her mind feels as clear as a summer sky. She looks around and it's her room. A basin sits next to it and some chairs sit around. Her window is open and as she looks she can see just the eave of the castle. Snow is sprinkled on it and is quickly melting as water drips off.

~How long was I asleep? Wait. Is father fine?~

Dahlia stands up but immediately feels dizzy and she grabs her bed posts for support before regaining her footing and walking towards the window. The snow had mostly melted and she could see the town from her room. Some of the buildings were destroyed but scaffolding and new developments were already being placed. People were just getting up as the morning sun rose over a distant mountain.

~Thank goodness. The townsfolk are safe.~

Behind her, she hears the door open and before she turns she hears a crashing of cups as her mother stands there, bringing her morning meal. No words were said when she runs and hugs her daughter whilst she begins to tear up.

"Thank goodness you're safe." Varme says as she sniffs. She then looks at her daughter in the eyes, "Are you fine? You don't feel sick? Are you hungry, you must be.. doctor! Someone get the doctor!"

Dahlia pushes free of her mother's tight embrace and looks at her.

"I'm fine. I'm just glad you are. But what about father, is he fine?"

"Oh yes! Your father, I'll get him now, he'll need to see you're fine!" Varme wiped a tear with her sleeve and called for servants to get the count.

---

After a while, with the news spreading throughout the castle and the town, Dahlia remains in her bed and is checked over by Dr. Steads. Once she is cleared she is visited by her father who immediately scoops her up out of her bed and hugs her.

"My sweet flower! Thank the gods that you are safe!" he tearfully cried.

He swings her around like rocking a baby, Dahlia notices his arm, "Your arm father!"

"Yes! The strange woman stuck it on and used some kind of glue and now it works!" he cheered.

He flexes his arm, showing the muscle bulging out. The arm isn't just back, it is better than it was before.

Dylan drops Dahlia and she speaks out on the woman, "Where is she? I must thank her."

"She has been in our guest room for the last few days. She said she wouldn't leave until you were awake." Varme said.

"Wait, how long was I asleep for?"

Varme looks at her daughter and struggles to mention the time but Dylan doesn't hesitate to say.

"13 days."

"Hah.." Dahlia says as she stumbles slightly. No wonder she felt so well rested, she has slept for almost two weeks, "What about the clergy? Have they.."

"The cleric had left the town. We assume they are aware." Varme says.

Dahlia felt the happiness and hope she had before slip out of her slowly as she realised that she isn't free from trouble yet. The clergy will likely come for her with an armed force, to kill her for her use of dark magic. And indeed a few moments after this realisation, a servant rushes into the room.

"The clergy have arrived with their paladins." the servant said, nervously.

Dahlia rushed out to look through her window. She can see moving through the town is a small force of heavily armoured knights on horseback with a few robed clerics adorned in gold in carriages.

Varme turns to the servant and orders him to delay them and to get some clothes for her daughter. The man rushes out and several maids come in to dress Dahlia. As Dahlia is washed as well, she heads down to the foyer where the Knights of McDernon stand. The recently rebuilt door of the castle opens and in march the paladins.

One cleric stands at the centre of their formation. He wears a white fur robe with a golden head ornament of a sun spiking in five rays on his wrinkled bald head. He steps forth and holds his hand out for it to have placed onto a scroll which he unrolls.

His voice was deep and stern like a judges as he began to say loudly and with purpose, "Dahlia McDernon, you have been accused of colluding with the devil which goes against the tenets of the Mother of Light1 and her will for the world. Do you deny these allegations?"

He looks at Dahlia and awaits her response without ever letting go of his still and stern face that feels as if it looks down on, not just her, but the McDernon countdom all together. Dahlia thought through her response. Why does she need to say anything? They have already made up their mind most likely. It wouldn't be a surprise if the paladins can sense the darkness within her and are already considering how to cut her down should she protest.

...

She could ask the traveller, Alice. She was strong so maybe... no. She can't involve her saviour in her problems. Not only that but she should be ready to fight on her own, just like how she did before.

"I do not deny these allegations." Dahlia affirmed.

"Then is it also tru-"

"But what is wrong with that?"

The cleric stops. His face turns to annoyance at being interrupted and he stares down the girl with a focus in his glassy eye.

"Child, you will not dare interrupt me let alone with an attempt to argue against the Light's will." he commanded sternly.

"But what is wrong with using this power?"

Varme whispers to her, "Dahlia, what are you doing?"

"I saved the people of my countdom with my own hands. I saved them from beasts that even magic couldn't hurt. Where was the Light there to save us?" she argued.

"Child, the Light clearly did not want to save a town with a clear darkness in it-"

"You are saying the Light is willing to le-"

"YOU WILL NOT INTERRUPT ME AGAIN!", the cleric shuts the scroll and gives it back to the other whilst still facing Dahlia.

"Dahlia McDernon, you will submit yourself to us or be cut down here." he ordered, raising a hand, preparing to signal the paladins.

Here it is. The moment she's been dreading. If she rebels, her family, the countdom, they will suffer but if she goes she will die and her mother, her father they will mourn for her and it's not fair.

"I.."

"Apologies but she's coming with me."

Dahlia looks up the foyer stairs and she sees Alice stepping down, still in her white suit and now standing next to her.

"Who are you? Reveal your face!", the bald cleric looks befuddled by the appearance of the woman who has her visor up and thus her strange face remains hidden.

Alice lowers her visor in a shunt and the cleric contorts into disgust and confusion as does the paladins flanking him.

"What hellish creature stands before me?" he groused.

"Alice Karnac, occultist, genius mechanic and though I could spend the afternoon explaining my species and genus to yourself and your clergy, I have to really get back to my home." she merrily said.

Dahlia looks to her and is about to speak before her mother pulls her and whispers.

"She told us she can save you." 

"What do you mean?" Dahlia whispered back.

The cleric swipes his hand in front of him as he commands, "I will not be talked to by a devilish thing, paladins, seize them both!"

The paladins raise their swords and shields, charging towards Alice and Dahlia and one is about to strike when Alice speaks again.

~Saltuscutum~ everyone in the room hears in their mind.

In an instant, light begins to refract in the space in front of Alice in a wall along the entire foyer. As the paladins run into it they are jumped in an instant back away from the wall fifteen feet. The paladins were confused but they kept rushing into it, with some swinging their swords into the wall only for the blade to be shunted back the same way.

"Hell magic!" the cleric yells as he orders the robed clergy to start casting holy prayers. When they finish, they shoot forth a ball of light that gets shunted back by the wall again and again, stuck in an endless loop before it fizzles out.

Alice turns to Dahlia and says in pep tone, "Now. Are you ready to leave?"

"What do you mean?" Dahlia asked with a puzzled look.

"Well obviously you are coming with me!"

"Wait, where? There is nowhere the clergy can't reach in these lands." 

"Hah. There is so much about the universe that they don't know. We are going to the Plane of Dreams!" Alice said with a swing of her arm.

"The Plane of Dreams?"

"Yes! Now go on. Say your goodbyes. Frankly, I need a good hot bath and my suit washed and repaired."

"Wait, mother, father, what does she mean?" Dahlia questioned as she turned to look at her parents.

Varme and Dylan look at their daughter with sad eyes mismatched with a warm smile. Varme speaks to her in a warm tone.

"We had talked to this person and she had explained.. a lot to us." Varme said.

"You see flower, she's offered to take you away somewhere safe." Dylan promised.

Dahlia looked confused, then concerned, "What do you mean? I can't leave, what about you?"

"We will be fine. Your father has a good relationship with the Duke and because we don't have dark magic the clergy won't be able to punish us as easily as you." Varme noted.

"But, when can I see you again?" Dahlia asked, her eyes wetting.

Alice perks up and says with a gleeful voice, "When you are strong enough to show these lunatics that you are not to be trifled with. Hencacount is a place where all kinds of people like you are welcome! Of course you can also visit on holidays!"

"Aren't you a dark mage?" Dahlia questioned.

"No. Were you listening earlier? I am a psionic!" she exclaimed as if it was obvious.

"I apologise but I don't know what that means."

Dylan holds his daughter's hand, pulling her attention back to him.

"Look flower, we have agreed that for the meantime, until things calm down enough, you stay with Ms Karnac and her people until we can get this fixed." he once more promised.

Varme hastily follows up with her words, "Just stay safe. Please. Do that and we will stay safe for you."

As Dahlia looked at her mother and father's tearful eyes, she realised that she had to do as they asked. She hugs both and the three huddle together as Dahlia cries out quietly.

"Please stay safe."

"We will flower, we will."

"We will miss you so much, so please don't worry us anymore."

"I won't." she sniffled.

The three continue their embrace for a while before she lets go, steps back and wipes her face of tears.

"What about my stuff?"

"I have already moved it." Alice says as she puts her hand on Dahlia's shoulder.

Dahlia reaches out her hand and smiles at her parents as Alice turns to the paladins. They are exhausted at their lack of progress against the invisible wall, the stern cleric looks infuriated as his magic fails to even pierce the wall.

"Foul fiend, cease your tricks and face the Light!" he gurgled out, beads of sweat pouring down from his scalp from every futile attempt to harm the wall.

"That is incorrect. I am not a fiend, they have a blood composition of sulphur and have a reinforced keratin that I lack. Either way I will drop the wall for you but only so I can make sure you don't attack the count and countess of this castle."

The light around the invisible wall stops refracting and the cleric screams at his paladins to attack Alice. But as they all come charging, Alice thinks a thought that everyone can hear in their mind.

~Saltusubito~ Alice's thoughts ran out to everyone.

In the span of a few seconds, each of the paladins and the clerics, except for the stern one, vanish. The stern cleric falls back and panics.

"What did you do?!" he shrieked.

"Don't worry, they aren't that far. I think. Though they are probably separated. Teleporting a lot of people at once takes a lot of effort so they might be a bit scattered. Now then are you ready Dahlia?" Alice inquired.

Dahlia looked to her mother and father and waves to them tearing up as Alice thinks out another thought once more.

"I'll be back. I promise I'll get back safe!" 

~Salirelonge~

And with a flash, Dahlia feels her body being shoved and pushed in one direction. She can still feel Alice's hand on her shoulder as she is sent flying through a space she cannot see where light cannot catch up to her eyes but before she could realise, it stops.

A different place in an instant. A distant place out of blue. Now it begins. A journey not to another place, nor another world, but to another dimension and the journey of Dahlia McDernon and the Hencacount.