Chapter 20 #3
The tentacle monster screams at us and launches a decently sized children’s car at us. An army of action figures catapults itself at me with a puppet coming in to give them backup. Jaak hits the flying toy car and it explodes into plastic shrapnel that takes out half a wave of the action figures.
“This is my true form.”
“You’re beautiful.”
He tilts his head to the side, dark brown hair slides to the side and his horns catch the still blinking lanterns above us. “I am terrifying. Hideous.”
I shake my head and go to him. “I’m awestruck.
” His eyes widen slightly when I say that.
I reach up and touch his face, sliding my fingers along the short-cropped hair there.
It slides against my fingers and I smile.
It’s not fur at all. I rise up on my tiptoes and kiss the place that I just touched.
“What are you doing?!” The discordant voices shriek and I sigh.
“Trying to have a tender moment with my husband!” I kick the closest action figure and send it into a puppet.
I look up at Jaak. “I think it’s time we, you know,” I make stabbing motions to express my level of wanting to get this over with so I can stare at him some more.
Jaak puts his hand on mine and stops me from stabbing the air. “That does not look like what you think it does, my heart.”
I look down at where our hands are touching. “I don’t get it.”
“It’s probably best you don’t.
“You will fear me! I have had enough of your insolence. You come into my lair and this is the treatment I’m given. I am owed more!”
I turn away from Jaak to survey the toy store mayhem in front of us.
The aisles have all been knocked down now, toys of all kinds have amassed themselves into a writhing army.
I can feel the anger rolling off each and every one of them towards us.
Behind them the mass of tentacles rises up.
It’s bigger than I thought, it takes up the entire room, wall to wall tentacle action.
There’s no clear head or body, it’s only the one-eyed tentacles that writhe and reach for us.
“You will fall to your knees in terror and worship me!” The tentacles shoot out and give a little shake that I know is meant to be menacing but it’s not. Nothing here scares me.
“What the hells?” I whisper and press my hand to my chest. I look down at it to see if there’s some magic anything going on. A light, a thread, a neon sign that says ‘you’re magically healed’ anything, but no. There’s nothing.
“What is it?” Jaak asks.
“I’m not scared,” I tell him. “I-I should be terrified. Normally I would be but I’m not scared.
” The realization is sweet relief. I laugh and clap my hands over my mouth.
“I’m not scared anymore! How am I not scared even with all of that eldritch horror going on over there?
” I ask, flinging an arm out towards the tentacles still throwing a hissy fit.
“Fear me!” It throws a stuffed bear at me that’s as big as Jaak and I don’t think I react and hit it. I punch right through the bear before I grab hold of it and rip its head off.
“No!” I yell and lob the head back at the tentacle mass.
“You monster!” It shrieks when the bear head lands smack dab in the middle of it. “Mr. Honey Bear?! How could you?”
I flip off the screaming tentacles and it lets out a shriek.
“You’re not afraid because of the soul-bond. You aren’t afraid because I have seen worse, we have seen worse, and defeated far deadlier foes than this one,” Jaak says.
“You and I are connected now. My power is yours, and so are my memories. Before, it was only you that shared with me but now the circle is complete. Anything that I know how to do, so do you.”
Jaak’s memories are mine. Of course. That’s why I saw him as a child, why everything in me feels like laughing at this so-called monster throwing stuffed animals at me. Right now it doesn’t seem scary at all. In fact, it’s coming across as downright petulant.
“You’re right. We have.” Even though I can’t sort through them, I can feel the memories surge around me. Planets have died and crumbled to ash beneath our feet, entire armies have begged for mercy, kings made to bend the knee before us. We have never been defeated in battle, and we never will.
“Can we shut it up now? It’s starting to get on my nerves.”
“Gladly,” Jaak answers. He nods over at the toys that have started marching towards us. They’re assembling into what looks like a decent sized human-shaped being that’s about as tall as Jaak is. “That first and then our screaming foe?”
“Sounds like a plan.” I smile at him and take one last lingering look at him. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me this was your real form.”
He makes a face, lip curling back and I see fangs flash but it doesn’t scare me.
Naturally, I want to get a closer look. I would too if the toy giant weren’t running at us.
A series of balls shoot out from its hand at us.
Jaak deflects them easily and drops them to the floor.
They’re metal from the clanging sound they make when they hit the ground.
“We will discuss this later.”
“Right. Monster to defeat. My bad.”
The floor shakes and pitches beneath us but I’m steady.
The toy giant comes for me first. I don’t know if it’s because it thinks I’m the weak link but whatever.
I’m excited for the fight. My blood sings in my veins, hot with fury.
At its side, I see tentacles explode forward towards Jaak.
They whip towards him for a direct hit and I gasp.
I felt that. I look down at my arm and see the welts appear there.
“Okay, so the bonded twin thing isn’t a magic metaphor.
” I shake my arm out and think about going to Jaak to help him but in the end, I don’t.
He can handle this. I know he can, just the same as this toy monster will be handled by me.
It brings down a fist to hit me and I dodge it, rolling to the side.
I hop to my feet and kick the back of the toy giant’s leg once, twice.
The third time sends it pitching forward and I see my opening.
I bound forward, running right up its back and grabbing hold of its head.
The toy giant thrashes when it realizes what I’m going to do.
It turns and bucks, trying to throw me off but it’s useless.
I’ve gotten my legs around its neck and have it in a death grip.
I clasp my hands together and bring them down to hit it as hard as I can.
Each hit sends toys scattering, a doll, a car, a jump rope, and a bunch of plushies.
I keep swinging until there’s a hole big enough for me to reach inside and shove my hand through the front of the giant’s face.
I lean in and curl my arm towards me while I bring my free hand to the front of its face and pull.
I pull as hard as I can and then some. I scream when I feel it give way and for the second time that day I behead a toy.
I drop the head and it shatters apart the second it hits the ground while its body fights on, or at least it tries to.
Its arms pinwheel as it staggers forward drunkenly.
I don’t know if it’s trying to hit me or keep its balance.
Whatever. Not important.
I reach down and grab an arm, a twist and a yank has it coming off in my hands.
I can feel the hard edges of building blocks and gods knows what else, but it’s squishy.
I don’t take the time to look to find out what the arm is made out of before I chuck it at the tentacle mass still screaming bloody murder behind me.
I rinse and repeat the other side and leap off when the giant finally falls face down on the ground.
The store shakes when it hits the floor.
A few of the pendant lamps come down as well and crash around me from the force of the giant’s fall.
I look over to see Jaak has a tentacle pinned down. He’s holding something in his hands, a sword from the looks of it.
“When did we get swords?” I ask. “I want a sword.”
“I conjured it.” He gestures down to the eyeball staring up at us. “Needed something a little more than my hands to deal with this oaf. He regenerates when wounded.”
“I’m going to see you both beg for mercy!”
I cross my arms and join Jaak in glaring down at the eye. “That’s big talk from an eyeball with no toys.”
The tentacle thrashes below Jaak’s foot. “You will pay for this. I swear it. You destroyed my beautiful toys!” A tentacle starts to push out of the one Jaak has and I understand what he means by regenerate.
I don’t even have to ask for the sword, Jaak hands it to me and I slice the new tentacle clean off.
“You know, we just wanted to speak with the business owner,” I point the sword at it. “All of this could have been avoided.”
“The business owner?” The eyeball goes from me to Jaak and back again. “That’s it?”
I nod. “That’s it. Are you the business owner?”
“Well, no.”
“I see.”
“But it’s not that I couldn’t be.”
I nod. “You’re the manager right? And practically run this place?” I ask parroting Leo’s words back to the tentacle.
“How did you know?”
“Call it a hunch.” I stab the sword down into the floor and the tentacle tries to get away but I don’t let it. I crouch down beside it and look it up and down. “Why did you attack us? For all you knew we were coming in here to buy a puppet.”
The tentacle scoffs. “No one buys puppets.”
“He’s got us there, witchling.”
“Okay, fine, basketball, whatever. Why did you attack us?”
“You’re too powerful,” it says, eye darting between Jaak and I.
“The magic you both have, the power, there’s no way you’re not up to something.
I thought it was best to take matters into my own hands and vanquish you before you caused any trouble.
This is a peculiar town but we have made it our home. We like it when it’s quiet.”
I look up at Jaak. “What do you think?”
“He seems truthful. At least, mostly. I see no harm in trusting it.”
I nod. “I agree. Let’s let him do his regeneration thing so he’s all in one piece.” I stand and Jaak takes his foot off the tentacle. It wiggles away from us.
“Look away,” it demands.
“Sorry, sorry.” Jaak and I turn our backs while the tentacle works on growing back what Jaak chopped off. There’s a few grunts and the sound of liquid hitting the floor that makes my eyes go wide as Jaak grabs my hand for support.
“What the hells is it doing back there?” I whisper.
“Regenerating. It’s a messy process.”
“So you’ve been through a lot of these then?”
There’s a thud and a groan that tells me maybe it’s over.
“Enough to know what it sounds like.”
“Okay, you can turn around,” the tentacle mutters.
Jaak and I both turn to see a middle-aged man with white blond hair, wire frame glasses, and a scowl on his face. He’s dressed like a librarian with slacks and a tweed coat. He’d be handsome if I didn’t know what he was.
He adjusts his glasses with an agitated sigh. “I’m Mort.”
I raise a hand in greeting. “Hi Mort. I’m Meadow and this is my husband Jaak.”
Mort raises an eyebrow. “I thought you were his master.”
“Same thing,” Jaak interrupts and points a finger at him. “What is your business here?”
Mort puts a hand up to his chest. “Me? I’m an innocent Oculus left in charge while the owner and purveyor of this fine establishment attends a wedding upstate.”
“So they weren’t on a camping trip?” I ask. “A murder sacrifice demon-summoning camping trip to be specific.”
“Murder sacrifice what?” Mort makes a face. “Never. Carol hates camping. She’s throwing back margaritas and no doubt making a grand speech at a country club by now.”
“What’s a country club?” I ask.
Mort gives me an up and down look. “You’re from that weird cult town, aren’t you?”
My mouth drops open. “Me? You’re saying that like you aren’t an eldritch horror in a cult town yourself!”
“Yes, you! You have a minotaur husband, missy. A dead give away you are from that town through the woods.” Mort laughs. “And for your information, there’s no cult here!”
Jaak gives Mort a sympathetic look. “You truly are blind for an Oculus. I thought your kind were famed for their magic detection. You truly have no idea of what is going on here, do you?”
Mort has the good grace to look offended at Jaak’s words. “Just because my abilities are a bit…latent doesn’t mean I would miss something like that. I detected you, didn’t I?”
“He’s got us there,” I say. “You did know we had power. Even so, why did you think we were evil? We’re not, by the way and that weird cult town isn’t so weird anymore, it’s under new management. New non-evil management.”
Mort scoffs. “I might be weak in my magic detection but you’re delusional if you think that town is ever going to change. Everyone knows they’re in cahoots with demons.”
“You keep your anti-demon sentiment locked up, Mort or I’ll split you in two.” I lift my sword and point it at him so he remembers exactly how sharp it is.
He holds up his hands like he’s in a stick up. “My apologies, ma’am.”
“That’s more like it. Manners are always in style,” I say.
I rock back on my heels and look around the destroyed toy store.
“Mort, we’re being honest with you. We’re here on official cult-hunting business.
Your town is ground zero and I’m pretty sure they want to destroy the world.
” I think back on what I heard them chanting and then nod.
“Yes, there was absolutely world destruction mentioned in their dance number.”
“If you require more proof then look into our eyes and see the truth. Use your unholy gaze.”
“His what? What do you mean unholy?” I ask, backing up and bumping into Jaak when Mort steps closer.
Jaak puts his hands on my shoulders to keep me in place. “The Oculus Gaze. It’s a tried and true method for his kind to suss out the truth. Hold still, my heart. This will only take a moment.”
Mort leans down to look at me. His eyes aren’t eyes, not really. At least not the normal kind. The second that I let Mort look into mine, his eyes change, rings of light pulsing in them as he stares into my eyes.
“Okay, yeah, go ahead and stare deeply into my eyes for fun. What could go wrong there?” I have to force myself to stay still but a second later it’s over. Mort doesn’t even bother to look into Jaak’s eyes. Whatever he’s seen in mine is enough.
“No no no.” Mort pales and then doubles over. “Oh my god. You’re telling the truth. There’s a bloody cult here!”
“Of course we’re telling the truth. Who would just make something like that up?” I ask.
“Plenty of fools,” Jaak says.
“A lot of idiots,” Mort howls.
I nod. “Oh.”