The Innocence of Teacups
The Golden Parade

“You be a loyal guide Lignum,” Sophos called from his doorway as he set off to replace Sasha. “And Eagle if he tries to abandon you again you have my permission to eat him.”

He shot a goodbye glance at Sophos as he took to the sky, going higher than the tallest tower.

Word at several taverns was Queen Kella had given the Golden Parade a human and they were taking him to their sacrificial temple. There’d also been talk of someone making off with the Horn Hunters’ new demon, while others gossiped that their new demon had somehow magicked itself away.

Once out of Spira, Lignum directed him to where the sacrificial temple was. It shouldn’t take them long to get there by air. He flew right over Long Meadow, skirted round some muddy mounds with holes in them, which resembled doorways to giant rabbit warrens. They were actually doorways to an underground spirit city. If he were human he might have had the nerve to pop his head inside and take a peek. After this city they flew above a road which all manner of night creatures travelled along. At the side of the road were fields with hog-like animals penned in, snuffling at the ground.

“That’s where I come from.” Lignum pointed a long arm at a left fork in the road. “There’s a little town at the bottom of there. Pixie Grove. Very little. Did you live in a town?”

He’d never really settled anywhere. He nodded anyway, thinking of Violet Town’s church.

“To your right,” directed Lignum.

Less nocta creaturas were on this right road which was probably because the road led into a spooky wood where all the trees were void of leaves. He wondered what types of animals called this wood home. Looked like a place for wolves, bats and owls. To avoid replaceing out what was within those trees he flew right over them until he came to a road on the opposite end of the wood.

Having wings sure came in useful when travelling. However having flown for a while his wings were aching so he landed a few paces away from the wood, in order to have a quick break. Lignum jumped off his back and went for a stride round on the edge of the road. He folded his wings away.

“You made a smoother landing this time,” commented Lignum. “You’ll soon be doing loop the loops. We’ll be at the Golden Parades’ temple in no time. Do you have a plan for when we arrive?”

He shook his head. It was rather difficult to think up a rescue strategy when he’d no idea of what he was flying into. The temple’s layout was unknown to him, meaning he’d no idea of where the Golden Parade would be holding Sasha, let alone how they were keeping him captive.

“We’re going to charge in there blindly, aren’t we?”

Most probably. He nodded.

Lignum gave a grin and chattered his head.

Pastel blues, reds, pinks, and yellows swirled round in a vast halo at the bottom of the hill he needed to climb up in order to reach the Golden Parade’s temple. Lignum stood on his back staring up at all the colours. He himself tried to blink away the image of a face. Some of those swirls looked as though they had eyes and mouths. Crouching he made to walk underneath them.

“Souls,” whispered Lignum and placed a hand on his shoulder blade. “You only see souls when one is furious. I wonder why they turned up here.”

Why indeed. He took a step back and watched souls slowly twirling continuously round and round. Who did those souls belong to? Too many questions and there was no time to be mulling them over. There was a mega big hill which needed climbing. He’d had to land at the bottom of the hill because a golden temple dominated the top. He sprang into a run, scattering loose bits of dirt and blades of yellow grass.

Lignum jumped up and down on his back all excited. “A soul is following!”

There was as well. A blue streak had pulled away from the pastel coloured halo made up of its comrades and drifted after him. At least the strip of blue soul was moving slowly. If he kept up running he would soon lose it.

“Have you angered a dead person?” asked Lignum.

He shook his head; most of the people he’d assassinated had never known his identity.

They were halfway up the hill and yes the soul was struggling along near the bottom. Phew. He slowed his pace somewhat wanting to make as little noise as demonically possible the closer he got to the temple. The temple was a bright gold. All variety of drums lined the outside of the temple acting as hedges. When he was quite close he crouched to the ground and watched the doors. A shivery sensation kept vibrating down his spine to the tip of his tail. They could have sacrificed Sasha already. The longer he waited the more anxious he became. He had an urge to charge down the doors, run in there and snatch Sasha, or what remained of him.

“I know you,” snarled a voice, making him jump. The blue soul drifted past him and soared right through the temple walls.

“Trouble trouble trouble is what you are,” said Lignum. “Are you sure your friend is worth venturing into that slaughter house for? Even if you can rescue him what next?”

He had no idea. Best to deal with that question if he ever journeyed far enough to it. As quietly as a demon could he approached the temple doors. He was just about to ram into them when Lignum extended a long limb and rattled at the door handle. There must be someone about seen as Lignum managed to swing the door open. Taking a deep breath he stepped inside the shadowy temple.

Fat white candles stood upon tall golden candlesticks. He followed the candles a long a white tiled floor; they led him to some stairs, leading underneath the temple. With there being no one up top he started his journey downstairs into even more unknown territory.

This temple sure was big enough to accommodate him. He supposed the Golden Parade needed lots of space for all its members, one of which was the same size as him.

“They take their eyes,” said Lignum on observing jars stacked on shelves along the walls. “They believe their gods do not wish to be seen so they scoop eyes out with their bare fingers.”

Disgusting.

He hurried a long down the steps. A faint chanting seeped into the holes in the side of his head. Lignum clutched his skin. Whatever was being chanted spooked his guide.

The bottom of the steps led him to a large chamber. The chanting came from behind a closed door which was a spot of luck. A huge spot of luck for in the middle of the chamber was a cage with Sasha sat inside clutching at his knees, shivering. He ran at the cage with intentions to smash it open and take Sasha away. Only a piercing howl like an injured wolf echoed round the chamber, bouncing off walls on to his body until he was immobilised. His legs refused to move. Eyes struggled to blink.

A blue figure sat cross legged on top of Sasha’s cage.

“I know you,” said Lanzo. At least he was talking instead of making that awful noise. “Leave my friend alone.”

Life itched into his muscles, as did the door where the chanting had come from.

“That soul was over furious,” squeaked Lignum, “so much so it’s turned into a phantom.”

As phantom Lanzo shouted, “leave Sasha alone heathen,” Golden Parade members burst through the door. They stopped short on sighting him and a blue phantom fuming on the cage.

“The Golden Parade wants to kill Sasha not Eagle,” said Lignum. “Whatever happened in your human world to cause such un-natural phenomenons?”

“He killed me!” shrieked Lanzo sending candles flickering so furiously they blew out. It was a good job nocta creaturas could see in the dark and only used candle light to set an atmosphere.

Red Feather was giving out instructions. He glanced behind him at Lignum wanting a translation so he could think up his next move. Before he could try make indications at Red Feather with his claws the nocta creatura which was similar to him came charging at him. Time to retreat.

“Faster faster faster!” shouted Lignum in an attempt to be encouraging. You didn’t exactly need encouragement when being chased by a muscular beast wearing a freaky mask. “You need to get to the sacrificial roof that’s where their leader told them to take Sasha.”

Right, lose Hooves then snatch Sasha from the roof. Hopefully he would get to the Sapphire Knight before his eyes got scooped out. Before he knew it he was skittering up top of white tiles, knocking over candlesticks. Hooves, clattered after him shouting what he imagined must be insults. While they played cat and mouse round candlesticks, the rest of the Golden Parade hurried up a flight of spiral stairs, dragging Sasha along with them. He could make out Lanzo shouting crude demands which everyone ignored.

When the Golden Parade were up on the roof he knew there was little time to spare. If he wanted to save Sasha he needed to act. He would much rather be the cat than mouse. He turned and stood firm. Hooves slid to a halt right in front of him, raising a hoof to clout him round the head.

“Eagle, what are you doing?” wailed Lignum and cowered behind his shoulder blades.

He gave an almighty roar. Demons were wild right, so yeah ought to roar all out when threatened. His hollering made Hooves shrink away from him. This was only a temporary reaction though. Hooves took in a lung full of air, buffering himself up, getting rid of his natural reaction. He held out a claw-paw in front of his face. His claws were like his knives. Assassin instincts spread though his blood making his heart pump steady, ready to fight.

Trying to scare Hooves some more he stood up on his back legs and roared a second time then swipe. Hooves caught his right front claws with a chunk of hoof, blocking his face getting slashed. His left claws were already coursing towards Hooves’ shoulder. Slash. Four streaks of blood appeared, glistened, then dripped. This beast was full of muscle but seemed the sort to engage in brawls rather than skilled fights.

Hooves crashed to the tiles with an almighty thud. Only when he rocked forwards onto all fours did he notice Lignum was no longer seated on his back. Stomach swelled with horror and lifted almost instantaneously on spying his guide running round the temple with a candle to hand. His head chattered as he set fire to floaty drapes. Little arsonist. When all the drapes were smoking Lignum dropped his candle and jumped on his back.

He ran through the main doors then gave a giant leap which had him up on the flat roof. The Golden Parade span round to stare at him. Well all except their leader who recited some sort of cryptic poem or song at Sasha. Sasha struggled to keep upright and was held up by a spirit. No wonder, he was in a fit of shivers; spirits made humans feel frozen.

“This is where they take the eyes,” whispered Lignum as Red Feather extended curled fingers at Sasha’s face. The spirit dug claws into Sasha’s arms making him groan while Lanzo bobbed about trying to strike down Red Feather but went straight through him like vapour.

He charged right at the Golden Parade. They stayed their ground so he ended up bowling into them. Hands, paws, and claws grabbed for him, forming a wall, trying to hold him away from their sacrifice. Ouch they tugged at his skin and Lignum toppled about trying to stay balanced.

What to do? What to do?

Get to Sasha no matter the cost.

He tore through whoever clutched at him which resulted in flesh getting torn. Skin mended itself whereas eyes did not.

“Grrr!” He swung his tail at Red Feather, sending him colliding into Sasha, who fell backwards on top of the spirit. He tried pulling Red Feather away but the Golden Parade leader held on fast. Wanting to limit Sasha’s stress he hooked his front legs round the both of them and hurtled off the roof.

Smoke billowed out of windows. The Golden Parade peered over the roof contemplating jumping off in pursuit. There’d be plenty of broken bones if they did.

“You don’t wait around do you?” said Lignum, as he tore down the hill with Lanzo floating after them. “Are you going to kill him?”

Half way down the hill and he came to a halt. They weren’t safe from the Golden Parade yet however he wanted to pry Red Feather off of Sasha. He was unable to shake the clinger because such actions would rattle Sasha too. He held the two of them outstretched in his claw-paws and blinked. Lignum said something in his own tongue which resulted in Red Feather leave go of Sasha, phew. Kind of phew seen as Sasha gave off moans. His shivery body was all limp and head hung as though breath no longer came from his lips. He passed Sasha onto his back while Red Feather scrabbled about on the ground.

Now he was at that question: What to do next?

“Leave my friend alone.” Lanzo flew right in front of his face and glared him out.

He stepped through the phantom and over Red Feather, who gawped at thick cushions of smoke rising from his temple. Served him right to lose his temple. He tried to tread carefully so as not to bump Sasha around who sloped over his back. Lignum had been forced to retreat to his head. They must look an odd trio, oh no foursome, Lanzo was following them.

“You killed me.”

“You must have done something disturbing for Eagle to have killed you,” said Lignum.

“Nothing. He’s a cold blooded murderer.”

“I don’t believe you. Go and bother someone else.”

“Lanzo?” moaned Sasha. “If you’re here I’m dead,” he managed to rasp.

“Not quite dead,” replied Lanzo.

“But I’ve gone blind!”

“You’re blind in Nocta Umbra because there are no suns. Human eyes need natural light,” explained Lignum not that Sasha was listening he’d returned to being a groaning wreck. “How rude. It’s not as though his eyes got taken. Your friend is quite a dramatist.”

“They’re not friends,” insisted Lanzo.

A true statement. But if it were so true what was Sasha’s reasoning for coming after him to stop Freyr hurting him? The answer was quite simple. A Sapphire Knight would have wanted to put a stop to an unruly demon coming to destroy his precious city. Not that you could blame him.

What to do next?

Seen as Lanzo was speaking words of encouragement at Sasha he decided it would be best if he flew some way to put some distance behind them and the Golden Parade. He only flew for a few minutes seen as Sasha was in no fit state to travel. He landed outside the boundaries of the woods. As soon as his claw-paws touched ground Sasha rolled off his back onto hard ground. The guy was shaking and stuttering; a much worse condition than when they’d been in Spirit Land. To try help warm him up he stretched a wing over Sasha somewhat like a leathery tent, and sat close to him.

All the while Lanzo protested away, “leave my friend alone heathen creature.” Such remarks came frequently and it was quite a sight to watch this blue phantom storming round them.

“Says a phantom,” Lignum shouted over all the noise. “Your kind are un-natural not demons.”

“He was human. Deserved to be demon. Ought to be dead. He killed me!”

“I wish he could kill you again. Besides you’re a killer yourself, spirit slayer.”

Lanzo drifted on the spot as though processing difficult thoughts. “Spirits shouldn’t have crossed into our borders. They took advantage of their portal opening talents. It’s their fault that demon lived.”

“Leave Eagle alone you dirty parasite.”

He longed to tell them both to be quiet because their squabbling couldn’t be doing Sasha any good. That and he needed to think. Perhaps Sophos would know what to do for the best; he might know some impartial spirit who would be willing to send Sasha home. Yes best to consult with Sophos seen as he was the only one who made much sense in this world.