PRL Serials

An Earther in the Fonlands – 2

“Tiriq?” Sene asked as she stood with Lofet, Coffey, Tiriq, and an Earther called Zacchaeus who had splashed down in the swamp earlier in the evening and had been telling them about the strange technology that allowed for his travel. Zacchaeus had told them about the Earth that he traveled from that was similar to the Earth that they called home, but there was no Divine Essence there and Zacchaeus had existed in a time almost three hundred years removed from their present. As Zacchaeus told them about his life on a different Earth, a man dressed in dark brown breeches and a long black coat that hung down to his knees with a top hat in his hands, stepped out of the dark forest to interrupt the Earther from a different Earth. 

Tiriq had called the man Lêgba, a name that all of the Umbatia of the swamp knew well. Since the Umbatia had arrived at their swamp and called it home, there had been whispers that Lêgba, a master wielder of the essence known for making bargains and often tricking naive Umbatia into his service, dwelled in the area. The Umbatia told their children stories of Lêgba to keep them from wandering too far away from the swamp for fear that they would encounter the man who would drain their essence and turn them into zombie slaves to use for his own bidding. Many believed this to just be stories, even Fonlanders born on Earth with little connection to the Fonlands know about the venerated Vodun of which Lêgba is a very prominent member, who preside over the Fonlands Discs and wield the Divine Essence as the gods of Fonlanders, and it is common knowledge that they do not travel to Earth because it is beneath their stature. But the stories persisted because there were some who swore that they had encountered a man in the forest who introduced himself as Lêgba. 

“Tiriq, what this man talking about?” Sene asked. “You promised him Coffey’s Third Heart?”

“This is Lêgba,” Tiriq said to her and Lofet who had looks of concern on their faces. “You should show respect for a man of his power.”

“This ain’t Lêgba,” Lofet said angrily and he stared at the man who smiled at the group like he enjoyed watching the confusion and disagreements play out. 

“He look like a Vodun to you?” Lofet continued and he had turned his anger on Tiriq. “And how you making promises about Coffey by yourself, like she your property or something.”

“I made a deal to protect this hive,” Tiriq said in aers deep voice that had morphed from the earlier concern and surprise into anger to match Lofet’s. “This man, this God who walks among us, offered us protection that we haven’t been able to secure for ourselves. That Earther don’t even know how to use her Third Heart, we don’t either, she ain’t no help to us.”

Coffey stood behind Lofet. The argument between him and Tiriq was getting heated and Tiriq seemed to be posturing for a fight. She also noticed the man, Lêgba, was smiling a devious smile at her and he had a hunger in his eyes that made her fear that he would eat her alive. 

“You a sucker, Tiriq,” Lofet said. “That is a shapeshifter leeching off our essence and you just believing all his bullshit. 

“Use your head, Lofet, don’t be blinded by that pretty woman you want for your own,” Tiriq’s deep voice boomed. “Think about your family. You know me, or I thought you did. I’m the most competent member of this hive, I give my life to keeping it safe. Ain’t never been a time I been foolish enough to be tricked by a shapeshifter. I know more about the essence than you’ll ever know, and I know the power of a Vodun when I feel it. Do you?”

“What is going on?” Zacchaeus, the mysterious Earther, whispered to Coffey.

“I don’t know,” Coffey whispered with fear in her voice. “But like I said earlier, I ain’t been here much longer than you have. I barely know these things. I don’t trust that man smiling at me, though. He black, but he got that master look in his eyes. I think we should run while we can.”

“Your friend sound like he ain’t gone let nobody take you,” Zacchaeus whispered.

Coffey looked at Lofet, still in the heat of the argument with Tiriq. She had come to trust Lofet in the short time she had been at the swamp. There was so much that she did not understand about the Umbatia and their relationship to human beings, but Coffey trusted that Lofet cared for her. She had experienced cruelty from other humans, and she had known love, and if she had nothing else, she had her intuition that gave her keen insights into the intentions of others. Lofet and Sene had shown her genuine love and concern, and Tiriq had treated her like a pest to be rid of. The man Lêgba obviously wanted to do something horrible to her and she was petrified to find out what that might be. 

She nodded at Zacchaeus.

“Maybe you right,” she whispered. “I hope you right.”

“Well,” the man called Lêgba said after spectating the argument between Lofet and Tiriq for a while. Everyone fell quiet as he spoke. “This is entertaining and all, but let me put this argument to rest. I wasn’t asking for Coffey and the other-Earth Earther, so ain’t no need for all this bickering. I’m taking the Earthers with me and I dare one of y’all to stop me.”

Lofet pushed Tiriq as he approached the man called Lêgba, and the light inside of him intensified. Two orbs of light formed in both his hands and the muscles of his golden body tensed and flexed. His opaque wings were up and seemed to be charged with light and lined with electricity that buzzed between the tips of his wings. 

“You dummy!” Tiriq yelled and aer light began to pulse from aer body in concentric circles that dissipated about a foot around aer. Ae held up a hand and the concentric circles of light energy began to pulse from aer palm like the light was charging and ae aimed at Lofet’s back. 

“Don’t you dare,” Sense said and an orb of light exploded around her as she tackled Tiriq.

Coffey and Zacchaeus marveled as the flashes of light exploded in the mounting conflict. They watched as Lofet tried to punch and blast his light at the man called Lêgba, but Lofet missed every time. The Lêgba was not rattled, he maintained his creepy smile as he disappeared just in time to dodge Lofet’s attacks, and he reappeared to laugh and taunt Lofet. 

Sene and Tiriq wrestled around in the grass, but as Lofet exhausted himself trying to attack the Lêgba, they both stopped their conflict to marvel at the spectacle. Each time the Lêgba disappeared and reappeared, there was a puff of a glowing, light blue smoke that wafted up into the air.

“You see that?” Tiriq asked Sene. “You see what he doing?”

Sene shook her head in disbelief. 

“That glowing smoke,” she said with wonder in her voice, “it’s the Fonlands mists! The same thing that come through the doorway in the swamp and make it glow. He teleporting back and forth between here and the Fonlands.”

“Can a shapeshifter do that?” Tiriq asked.

“No…no…” Sene stammered. She watched the Lêgba as he attacked Lofet each time he reappeared after dodging Lofet’s attack. When the Lêgba hit Lofet, he drained the energy coursing through Lofet’s body and his light was dimming rapidly. 

“This ain’t good,” she said as she backed away from Tiriq and approached Coffey and Zacchaeus who watched the display with wonder. “Can you use your magic? I’m not strong enough now to shrink y’all down, but maybe you can. Shrink down and hide somewhere safe. I gotta go get help.” 

Coffey watched as Sene’s glow intensified and then shrunk in an instant. She looked at Zacchaeus.

“I don’t want to leave Lofet, I have to help him,” she said to Zacchaeus. As she talked, her body began to glow, and soon glittering lights began to issue from her body.

“Maybe I can help too,” Zacchaeus said. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to go anywhere with that man.”

Coffey stared at Zacchaeus curiously, wondering how he could help, but she shook her head in wonder as a black hood materialized over Zacchaeus’s head and a black cloak fell down around his shoulders. 

Before Coffey could ask Zacchaeus where the hooded cloak had come from, there was a sharp sound and a burst of blue light. They both turned to see an oval of blue with a glowing mist issuing from it as the Lêgba stood next to it with a grin. Lofet was unconscious at the Lêgba’s feet and Tiriq was in a reverent kneel. 

“Let’s go,” the Lêgba said as he extended a hand. Ropes of light issued from his palm and they wrapped Coffey and Zacchaeus quickly, then hurled them both into the glowing oval before either of them could do anything to react.

“I’ll see you soon,” the Lêgba said to Tiriq, and then walked through the oval that closed after him.