Fairly Wicked Tales by Armand Rosamilia, Hal Bodner, Laura Snapp, Vekah McKeown, Gary W. Olsen, Eric Bakutis, Wilson Geiger, Eugenia Rose Page A
Authors: Armand Rosamilia, Hal Bodner, Laura Snapp, Vekah McKeown, Gary W. Olsen, Eric Bakutis, Wilson Geiger, Eugenia Rose
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coalesced, and he realized there was an axe in his right hand. Before him Heidi bled and screamed as Eb and Otto tore at her with knives and fingernails. He swung, striking her shoulder and cleaving through the bone.
“You became violent. She became dead. But sweetheart … the dream is not ended.”
He chopped again and again, reducing Heidi’s body to chunks. Howling, Otto threw a piece of her thigh at Eb. Eb ignored the missile as he fixated on pulling Heidi’s ring from her severed hand. Armin pulled the limb from him, threw it to the ground, and swung his axe at her fingers.
“You consumed the deepest of my whispers in the darkest of your thoughts. You experienced a new hunger.”
Armin flung pieces of Heidi toward the pot, not caring if he hit or missed. The scent of cooking meat soon filled the house, and Armin struggled to keep from plunging his hands into the water. Eb stomped about, searching for the finger with the ring. Otto cried.
“You saw me then, before the great cask. Wordlessly, I came to you, and bade you drop your weapon.”
The axe struck the ground. Armin found himself unable to turn away from Viveka’s sharp eyes. His fingers trembled on her shoulders.
“The time was at hand to show you pleasure.”
Viveka pressed herself against his chest and buried her face. He pulled her head back, and she tore the collar of her dress, baring one milk-smooth breast. Armin stared for an endless moment …
… then buried his teeth in her.
“And pleasure you took.”
He lost the ability to make sense of his vision after that, as it flew apart into blood and flesh and screams. Eb collapsed by the doorway, while Otto tore bloody strips from an unidentifiable part of Heidi. The parrot spoke a low, maddening chant that didn’t end even as Armin’s foot kicked down its cage.
“So good,” he murmured over and over, as he ripped more from Viveka’s breast. The wound, to his amazement, closed and sealed after every tear.
“Do your will,” she commanded.
She dissolved from his eyes as he kissed her bloody lips, consumed by a sea of crimson light.
“But sweetheart,” said Viveka, from within the light, “the dream is not ended.”
Her face loomed before him again, and Armin realized it was the Viveka of now. He was seated at their table, with her father, his best man, and the majority of Resau surrounding them.
He still could neither move nor speak.
She brought his hand to her chest—to the exact place he had torn flesh from her in his vision.
Beneath her dress, he felt the depression of a wound—not as deep as he had imagined, but nonetheless real. He started to shake.
“You have a choice to make,” said Viveka. “You see those around us?”
Armin looked about, only moving his eyes. He struggled to do even that, so intense was her gaze. In those fragmented glances, the villagers stared, slack-jawed and silent, entranced themselves. The beer in their mugs was forgotten, along with their plates of meat and bread.
“When I tell you the dream is not ended,” she said, “I talk of their dream. In it, I have come to visit you for the first time, as I described at the start. I met Grete, and she warned me of the terrible band of robbers and cannibals who held her prisoner. We watched, horrified, as you cut up poor Heidi and ate her. All except for her finger … and her ring.”
Viveka opened her left hand, revealing a slender severed finger. Heidi’s ring, though tarnished and stained with blood, was unmistakable.
“If you agree to become as I am,” Viveka went on, “they will not remember the story I compelled them to hear. You will later undergo a ritual, in which you will become as my father and I are. Long life and ease of healing will be yours. The ability to mesmerize and compel will be yours.” She gave him a light kiss. “ I … will be yours.”
She turned the finger idly over in her hand.
“If you do not agree … you know what will happen.”
Armin knew. He would
“You became violent. She became dead. But sweetheart … the dream is not ended.”
He chopped again and again, reducing Heidi’s body to chunks. Howling, Otto threw a piece of her thigh at Eb. Eb ignored the missile as he fixated on pulling Heidi’s ring from her severed hand. Armin pulled the limb from him, threw it to the ground, and swung his axe at her fingers.
“You consumed the deepest of my whispers in the darkest of your thoughts. You experienced a new hunger.”
Armin flung pieces of Heidi toward the pot, not caring if he hit or missed. The scent of cooking meat soon filled the house, and Armin struggled to keep from plunging his hands into the water. Eb stomped about, searching for the finger with the ring. Otto cried.
“You saw me then, before the great cask. Wordlessly, I came to you, and bade you drop your weapon.”
The axe struck the ground. Armin found himself unable to turn away from Viveka’s sharp eyes. His fingers trembled on her shoulders.
“The time was at hand to show you pleasure.”
Viveka pressed herself against his chest and buried her face. He pulled her head back, and she tore the collar of her dress, baring one milk-smooth breast. Armin stared for an endless moment …
… then buried his teeth in her.
“And pleasure you took.”
He lost the ability to make sense of his vision after that, as it flew apart into blood and flesh and screams. Eb collapsed by the doorway, while Otto tore bloody strips from an unidentifiable part of Heidi. The parrot spoke a low, maddening chant that didn’t end even as Armin’s foot kicked down its cage.
“So good,” he murmured over and over, as he ripped more from Viveka’s breast. The wound, to his amazement, closed and sealed after every tear.
“Do your will,” she commanded.
She dissolved from his eyes as he kissed her bloody lips, consumed by a sea of crimson light.
“But sweetheart,” said Viveka, from within the light, “the dream is not ended.”
Her face loomed before him again, and Armin realized it was the Viveka of now. He was seated at their table, with her father, his best man, and the majority of Resau surrounding them.
He still could neither move nor speak.
She brought his hand to her chest—to the exact place he had torn flesh from her in his vision.
Beneath her dress, he felt the depression of a wound—not as deep as he had imagined, but nonetheless real. He started to shake.
“You have a choice to make,” said Viveka. “You see those around us?”
Armin looked about, only moving his eyes. He struggled to do even that, so intense was her gaze. In those fragmented glances, the villagers stared, slack-jawed and silent, entranced themselves. The beer in their mugs was forgotten, along with their plates of meat and bread.
“When I tell you the dream is not ended,” she said, “I talk of their dream. In it, I have come to visit you for the first time, as I described at the start. I met Grete, and she warned me of the terrible band of robbers and cannibals who held her prisoner. We watched, horrified, as you cut up poor Heidi and ate her. All except for her finger … and her ring.”
Viveka opened her left hand, revealing a slender severed finger. Heidi’s ring, though tarnished and stained with blood, was unmistakable.
“If you agree to become as I am,” Viveka went on, “they will not remember the story I compelled them to hear. You will later undergo a ritual, in which you will become as my father and I are. Long life and ease of healing will be yours. The ability to mesmerize and compel will be yours.” She gave him a light kiss. “ I … will be yours.”
She turned the finger idly over in her hand.
“If you do not agree … you know what will happen.”
Armin knew. He would
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