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Chapter Five:
Isis and Io

She pulled through the weather, smiling as she led.
A promise not to fail
Without a horse, without the help of man,
She moved with no help at all.
“How?” I asked. And casually he would break into that never-ending smiling.
“There is a lot of unexplained magic in this world.” He said. “You more than anyone should understand that.”
I could feel his smile down to my soul.
Errant was surprisingly large. The floor was riddled with quilts of various colors. Since there was no set “bed” sleep would come to those who could grow accustom to the rhythm of the turning wheels. I knew that this was to become my lullaby.
“Get some rest now.” His voice, stern. A voice telling me not to disobey him. “Tomorrow we’ll be in Dunkel. Expect to perform.”
The silence was constricting. The husky sound of him filling his lungs, the ruffle of a quilt.
I am not human.
For I do not sleep.
Instead all I could do was watch the hours of stillness. Their eyes remained shut for what felt like days and, of course, there were those things they called dreams.
They fascinated me.
Tales of other worlds
Alternate realities
None of which I will ever experience.
Whitley was quiet. He barely stirred in the evening. Errant continued to drift effortlessly. I could feel the magic in the air.
Her wheels stopped turning.
As if waiting for command.
Speckles of sunlight began to shine through her.
Whitley’s silence was soon replaced by the waking of the wind. All around he danced with the presence of morning. Whitley, upon taking notice to the stillness of Errant, joined in with the awaking of Earth.
“…We’re here.” His words were simple but contained enough strength to knock over a man.
Laughter.
The merriment of children.
Graceful as a ballerina their cachinnations danced.
And like a caterpillar transformed into butterflies.
“Whitley!”
“Whitley’s here!”
And the butterflies danced; following no coherent rhyme their laughter led their path. Human children experiencing such joy…just who was this man?
He called himself a puppeteer.
Where were his dolls?
His strings?
Errant, as if responding to the children’s voices pushed herself ahead, even she appeared pleased by the children’s admiration. The wheels, turning slowly at first, once again began to lead the way. Tracing our path like mother and child.
Even through the cloth covering I could see the towering buildings that painted the streets of Dunkel. Buildings that seemed to be so tall glancing up at them would result in a painful kiss from the solar woman. Never in my life could I recall ever seeing civility such as this. Children littered the streets running freely like a wild dog. Adults scanned the market place with an untrusting eye. Life that seemed as if it had ran this way for generations undisturbed by the passing of time.
And she.
The solar woman above
How brightly she beamed on these streets.
Her presence existed in every corner of the city.
Dunkel.
City of light.
Finally I had understood the name that had be given to it.
Errant pulled to a stop.
A feminine voice echoed from outside.
“Whitley?”
And as expected the smile returned to his face.
“Aww yes Charlotte my dear come on in!”
My dear
How the words played over and over in my mind.
Why?
The curtain seemed as if it had pushed itself open, and in replace of the solar woman a new one took her place.
She was splendidly beautiful.
Her hair, although messy with the careless toss of the wind, was a brilliant amber color that hung daintily on her shoulders. Her eyes matched in hue and although the dress she wore was simple, it reflected her natural beauty like a mirror.
And the way Whitley smiled at her…a lump filled to my throat.
“Why Charlotte it seems it has been an age! Tell me they are ready yes?”
“Of course and I think you’ll find the new revisions to your liking. Especially on the girl Isis yes?”
“Aww yes I had a big plan for her so I hope she is up to part.”
The woman, carrying a wicker basket gripped tightly in her right hand, released her power upon it and handed it to Whitley.
Two dolls rested inside.
Their eyes tightly closed.
Resting.
They were a boy and girl that appeared in presence to be children. While the girl gave off a noble appearance to her with blond ringlets and a rosy dress, the boy appeared to have a more impoverished look with messy hair and torn overalls. The strings hung carelessly from their shoulders, as if they were unashamed by them.
Whitley smiled once again.
“Yes Charlotte I was right to put this task to you. These are perfect.”
She smiled in well-mannered conduct.
“Well just remember my doors are always open to you if you need anything else. You put on such wonderful shows.”
She spoke to him in such a familiar tone that in spite of my effort I could not contain the feeling that welled up inside of me. A fire began to build inside of me; the sight of her began to make my stomach clench tighter. And as she continued on her intimate conversation with Whitley the sensation began to become insufferable. Only a day ago he had spoken to me in such a manner.
What was I to him?
When the conversation had come to end it was as if darkness began to cover the rest of the world. The cover had sealed blocking the solar woman from penetrating the fortress.
Whitley set the basket carefully on the ground.
“Alright you two you can stop playing games at any moment now.”
The dolls lifted themselves from the ground.
As if suspended by invisible string.
Features becoming alive
Clothing that became real.
Eyes that could blink.
Human.
With subtle grace they floated back to the ground, bowed to their master, and picked the string that hung on their shoulder off like a lose hair.
“Whitley?” I managed to force out throat. “What or who…?”
“I figured you would ask.” And with that simple reply turned to the children, “now you two introduce yourself to our new recruit.”
“Yes Whitley” Said the girl
“Yes Whitley” responded the boy.
They turned my direction
Their smiles disincarnated upon meeting my eyes.
“Whitely?” The boy began, his voice quivered, as if in fear.
The girl had born a different reaction entirely.
“What is that THING you let loss?” The two snickered. Pleased by their words.
“I told you. Our new recruit. And I also told you to introduce yourselves did I not? Not to ask questions.”
They were affected by him.
They too could not disobey him.
“Pleased to meet you, my name is Isis.” Said the female doll with forced sincerity.
“And I’m Io.”
“Excellent. Well then why don’t we wait for our fine madam to get out of her state of shock yes? Isis! Io! Come with me please!”
Whitley turned his back and trotted off with Io following behind him like a faithful dog. Isis stayed behind, however, glancing towards me, her eyes burning with the rage of bull.
“Don’t think you’re anything special to him.”
And with those words for the first time I was the first to make eye contact.
“…What?”
“Don’t play dumb with me Whitley doesn’t think anything of you. You’re nothing but a tool. You think you’re anything special because Whitley is working with you? You’re not the first he’s recruited and up to my demands…you’re not going to be here more than a day.”