The cobbled path framed by the well-arranged, beautiful garden was a sight many admired in the lord’s manor. The greenery and plants cared for and trimmed, the sweet smells of flowers in bloom. For Yuki, each step on this path was one step closer to hell.

Boris hunched his back and shoulders. His heavy steps on the path were more painful than before. Yuki couldn’t hold it anymore, she cried out. “Heeeeelp! Gemme outta hereeee!” Her voice was low, her body still paralyzed. Her legs twitched. Movement was still impossible.

Jenny stopped, then turned around. She looked at the rabbit. A flicker of something passed on her face before she smiled at the boy. “Is it still alive?”

Boris nodded so fast it surprised Yuki he didn’t get whiplash. Bo raised Yuki, showing his prize to the girl. “Right, it is.” He mumbled.

Jenny stepped closer, invading Boris’s personal space. “Let me handle it?” She asked, her voice sweet.

Boris turned redder than before and all but threw Yuki at the girl. Jenny caught the rabbit in both hands. She curtsied. “Thank you, Boris.” She turned around, blocking Yuki’s vision from the boy. Jenny looked Yuki over, pausing, when she noticed the patch of bloodied and mangled fur. Her face twisted into a scowl before settling again into a pleasant smile.

Jenny crossed the heavy oak doors into a grand foyer without waiting for Boris. The cool air carried to Yuki new smells: cooking meat and burning wood. High above, the vaulted ceiling was supported by thick, wooden beams. The walls were adorned with tapestries depicting scenes of hunting and feasting. The floor was a mosaic of smooth, dark stones worn by countless steps.

Yuki’s gaze stuck to the images in the tapestry. The festivities, people roasting rabbits. Now, indeed, in the thrall of panic, she yelled, trying to break free. Her limbs responded, but small jolting movements weren’t enough to free herself.

“Shhh, it’s okay.” Jenny brought Yuki closer, whispering in a soothing voice. “You’re going to be okay.”

The words, even in the unfamiliar language, were calming. Yuki stopped struggling, consigning herself to the oven. She hoped they at least choked to death with her bones.

They moved through a series of interconnected rooms. The great hall was expansive and imposing, with a long wooden table that could easily seat dozens of people. Massive chandeliers wrought from iron hung from the ceiling, the candles unlit during the day.

Adjacent to the great hall was the smaller but no less grand dining room. A large fireplace dominated one wall; the hearth’s fire was unlit. The table set in the room had plates and goblets. Rich wooden paneling lined the walls, and a small gallery overlooked the room.

Jenny crossed the room into a kitchen. Yuki’s nostrils twitched at the aroma of baking bread and simmering stew. Servants moved with frenetic energy, tending to fire and large cauldrons. On the wall-mounted shelves, an array of herbs and spices. Large baskets of produce sat on the floor beneath it.

They climbed a spiraling staircase. At the top, Jenny walked into a long, dimly lit corridor lined with doors. Jenny ignored all of them. She walked straight to the last door in the corridor. Once there, with a quick look behind to make sure Boris followed, she knocked at the door.

“My Lord,” she said, “I’ve brought Brander’s grandson.”

Yuki heard rustling on the other side, then a tired voice. “Come in.”

Jenny pushed open the dark, polished wooden door, then waved Boris inside. The boy hesitated, bowed and entered. Jenny followed.

The inside decoration was rich but functional. A large, heavy desk covered with parchments and quills, ate almost all the space. Behind the desk, a tall window gave a view of the surrounding lands, the farms, and, even in the distance, the field of gnarled trees. The walls were lined with bookshelves filled with leather-bound volumes and scrolls.

Yuki noticed the man sitting behind the desk. He was in his forties, had pale skin, and had an angular beak nose. His eyes, dark brown made more prominent by the man’s huge glasses. The man was dressed in tasteful yet straightforward clothes; a white shirt and dark pants. But most of all, Yuki felt it more than she smelled it. The room reeked of burnt wood and fresh blood. It had the same texture she came to associate with power in use. The scent was so strong that she sneezed.

The constant noise of quill to parchment stopped before it started again. Jenny looked at Yuki with a strange gaze, Boris’s eyes were glued to the floor, the lord hadn’t raised his head yet from the parchments.

“What are the news?” The man asked without looking up.

“Er… well, milord… Grandpa, I mean, caretaker Brander found a white rabbit, smaller than the others, with no horns.”

“Did he now?” The lord said. He kept penning his missive. “Did you bring the specimen?”

“Yes, milord.” Said Boris, bowing again.

“Jennifer?” The lord asked, without looking from his table.

“Yes?”

“Dispose of the thing.” The lord commanded.

“Of course, my Lord,” Jenny said and curtsied.

“Boy, tell the caretaker to prune this new breed. We don’t need any contamination of the livestock.”

The four fell silent. The lord kept penning his missive. Jenny kept looking at Yuki, Boris kept shuffling on his feet, and Yuki kept wishing she was anywhere but in this room; the smell was so strong it almost hurt.

The lord paused, and finally looked up. “You have anything else to report?”

“No sir,” Boris said, his voice barely more than a whisper.

“You’re dismissed,” said the lord of the house, then turned to his papers again.

Boris bowed and left. Jenny followed the boy and closed the door behind them. Yuki could finally breathe again. She would have hugged the girl if she could; so much was the relief. She settled for the next best thing. She licked the girl’s palm.

Jenny giggled, and nodded down the corridor when Boris looked at her. She led the boy back to the manor entrance, stopping short of leaving the compound.

“Give your mother my regards,” she said and picked something from the inner pockets of her uniform and handed it to Boris. Yuki couldn’t see what it was. “That is a late birthday gift to Isabella. I didn’t have time to visit, but I didn’t forget. Please give it to her for me.”

Boris nodded, swallowed. He opened his mouth seeming to gather his courage to say something.

Jenny stepped closer and kissed the boy’s cheek. Yuki could even see smoke coming out of his ears. Whatever he was building up the courage to say died in the crib.

“Now, I have to go back, can’t give the others a reason to complain,” Jenny said. She smiled and waved.

Boris swallowed again, bowed, and left, the heavy gates closing behind him.

Jenny’s cheerful demeanor evaporated faster than water in the desert. She rolled her eyes, still looking at the gate, she spat to the side and cleaned her mouth. Her gaze wasn’t gentle anymore. It was piercing and predatory. She smiled again, full teeth on display. The dimples in her cheeks would have been cute if Yuki wasn’t so scared.

“Now, what do we have here?”

Yuki trembled. Couldn’t she catch a break? What was wrong with this world?

FatElf

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