In the next moment, Mikano lifted a foot and brought it down on the butterfly, crushing it.He wiggled a finger at Kai as if to say,No, you shouldn’t touch that.He couldn’t talk though, because he was still in the process of eating all those butterflies, it looked like.
As Kai watched, Mikano closed his mouth to chew, then opened it again to get to some stragglers, then crunched down on those.He sounded for all intents and purposes as if he were eating a bag of chips.
“Stay here, Kai, head down and eyes closed,” Mikano said and walked out into the street.
“You succubus!”the old mailman said.
Mikano chuckled.“Oh, please.You wish.”
“Infernal demon spawn!”
There was a thunking noise, like a fight, maybe a fistfight, but Kai wasn’t sure.I’m fucking glad I have no experiences with fistfights, but this is what they sound like in games, someone being whacked.
“That will not help you.You have done vile things here, human.The vilest.Kai, eyes closed, close them tight, and cover your ears.”
Kai got it.He understood what Mikano wanted.He didn’t look, didn’t want to.He looked at the ground though, not able to close his eyes.He couldn’t, didn’t know why, just couldn’t.But he chose not to lookthere.
His ears, he kept open though, because he wanted the sounds, wanted to know there was an end to this.He remembered the old man, remembered discomfort and the feeling of being used.He wanted to know there was an end.He wanted to know that none of what had happened was going to happen again.
Wet noises, crunch.Chewing again, but not like chips this time.Then, delayed, a scream.Did I scream?Did they let me?Or did they take that from me too?Kai waited, and there was another scream, louder than the first, more noises, tearing and breaking, painful sounds.In that moment, for Kai, necessary sounds.
After however long it took, the street was silent yet again, and the mail truck which had still been running, had its engine switched off.
“Kai?Are you shaking?”
He saw only Mikano’s shoes but managed to nod.
“That’s okay.You can wait for me here.You don’t have to come.”
Kai looked up.He had expected blood, guts, butterfly wings dangling from Mikano’s mouth, but there was nothing of the kind.Mikano looked just as put-together as he had walking out of the ocean.
“I’m coming.”
Mikano nodded.“That’s what a landbride would say.You stay behind me though, is that clear?”
Kai looked at the truck, and there was blood spatter there all right.“Crystal.”
“Then let’s move.”
20
“Howmuchbloodshouldwe take?”James asked.
Fian groaned, but only half of it was pain from the cut on his wrist.The rest of it was fury, bright as the embers in Kai’s eyes, deep as the dream ocean which held secrets those two wannabe witches cold never hope to know.Those are them, the humans who hurt Kai, who made him taste lost and desperate in that changing room.He never finished that filled conch shell rice, and he cried out all that salt because of these barnacle men.
Nick looked down at Fian, triumph in his mud-colored eyes.“That should do it.”
The barnacle man—the vilest—held a small bowl brimming with Fian’s blood.
Fian struggled to speak even with the gag in his mouth.He was done being silent.
James snickered.“Look at that.Now he’s complaining.”
Nick didn’t say anything, simply held Fian’s gaze for a long moment.Then he pulled the filthy gag out of Fian’s mouth.
“Last words, demon?”
“Last words?Who knows.That ocean hasn’t been crossed yet.Kai slipped your magic.He’s free now.You can’t have him back.”
