Page 9 of The Other Side

Chapter

Seven

IRIS-MARIE

T he store bell jingled as I entered, the sun barely risen as I stepped inside my shop. The heavy smell of something burning hit my nostrils as I crossed the threshold. Smoke filled the entire building, gagging me as I searched for the source.

“Tuft!” I shouted. “Tuft!” I followed a thin, smokey trail as it reached the kitchen, a cloud of burning tang smacking me in the face as I turned the corner, my eyes burning.

“Iris! You’re back!” Tuft grinned, holding a cast iron skillet with something resembling food once upon time. The mystery thing now was black and shriveled to basically nothing. He waved his hand in a small attempt to push the smoke out through the kitchen window while Bastien watched, grumbling in annoyance. “Oh, come on, it can’t be that bad.” It took me a minute to notice he was shirtless, wearing one of my more feminine aprons. His pale chest was equally as scarred as his face and arms.

What happened to you? Tuft noticed my expression.

“Is it really that bad?” I rolled my eyes and rushed to him. My hand snatched the skillet and tossed the heavy thing in the sink, immediately blasting it with cold water. The mix of hot and cold created a loud hiss as it steamed and cooled the pan. “What the hell were you trying to do? Burn the whole place down?” I turned to look at him through a thin layer of smoke, my brows furrowed in frustration.

“I was only trying to make breakfast. I felt bad for how things ended last night and wanted to make it up to you.” His head fell as he hid behind his hair.

For such a strong looking man, he really is so easily defeated. What could’ve happened to make him so docile? What did Cypress do to him?

With a loud sigh, My hands gripped the side of the sink as I lowered my head. Tuft was only trying to help—to be nice. It wasn’t his fault. None of this was.

“It’s fine. It’s just food.” My body turned around and leaned against the sink, crossing my arms. I took a breath and tried to calm my temper. “About what happened yesterday—none of it was your fault. You’re just like me, a pawn in this sick celestial game. We’re both stuck.” Tuft lifted his head and smiled.

“Indeed we are.” His golden eyes looked me up and down as his face twitched. “Were you just getting in?” He pointed towards the shop door. I nodded.

“I—” I stopped, remembering everything from the night before. I had to cross my legs and squeeze them as my core became alive at the recollection. “I couldn't sleep.” My mouth forced a fake smile. “I decided to clear my head and take a stroll through the bayou. It’s very peaceful at night, you know?. The fireflies fill the sky like stars and dance in the heavens. You should see it one day.”

“That does sound lovely.” He squinted his eyes, observing me closely. It almost made me uncomfortable, as if he was looking past my skull into my mind. “Any particular reason you couldn’t sleep?” I shook my head a little too quickly. “Really?” He crossed his arms, his pale, scarred skin nearly reflecting the morning sunlight as he made a goofy grin. “So the sounds that came from your room last night—those moans…they weren’t you?” My cheeks burned with embarrassment.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I swallowed. “And even still, what the hell were you doing creeping into my room?”

“Oh no, don’t try to turn this back on me. I was sound asleep until those sounds coming from your room woke me. And they sounded an awful lot like you.” Tuft stepped closer. “I’ve been trapped in that Underworld with Cypress for many years, Iris-Marie, many long, lonely years. I’ve seen her toy with other humans, playing with their emotions before eventually torturing them to death. I know how she operates, how she—” he raised a brow, “influences her pets.”

“I’m not her fucking pet,” I snapped.

“Didn’t sound that way last night.” His grin grew as he watched me squirm. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of, Iris, but you wouldn’t be the first human to have fallen under her spell. Almost every soul foolish enough to make a deal with her has ended up in her bed.”

“I’m not ashamed! I—” Tuft chuckled lightly, enjoying himself too much. “It’s really none of your business what I do and with whom.” I turned and began to wash my hands.

“So it was you and Cypress?” He chuckled. “Regardless, it is my business if the goddess of death—the very same one who has my soul in her grasp—is fucking around with you. She plays games, Iris. Not just emotional or mental games, but physical ones too.” I tried to ignore him, but I couldn’t. “If our freedom wasn’t at stake, I wouldn’t care what you two did, but it is. You can’t get sucked into her allure. Not now. Not with so much hanging on by a single thread.”

“I’m not getting sucked into anything!” My body whirled around as I glared at him. “It was just a dream!” I wheezed a smile. “That’s all!”

“A dream? Really?” Tuft quickly left the room and returned, the pitch black candle now in his grasp, the single blue flame still burning. “Then tell me, what is this ?”

The candle.

“Where did you get that?”

“I found it this morning when I went to check on you. Iris, this —” he moved his fingers over the flame, the fire doing nothing to his flesh, “this is hellfire. Her fire. You can’t put it out or blow it away, same as her spells. This is her calling card, her mark that she was here. You may think that was just a dream, but to her, it was real . And this candle.” He shook it. “It is her reminder. You can’t just brush last night off or forget.” Tuft sighed heavily. “She’s toying with you, Iris-Marie. She’s doing everything she can to ensure you deliver her favor. I’ve seen this before, many times. Please, don’t fall for her tricks. Don’t get lost in her toxic allure. It’ll drag you so far down, you’ll never breathe air again. If you go down, we all fail. I can’t go back there. I can’t.” He placed the candle next to me, ripping the apron as he tossed it aside and turned to leave. I noticed two gashes on his back—deep, ancient scars that made my stomach sick.

“Where are you going?” I called after him, my eyes glued to the painful slits.

“To get some fresh air.” He quickly left the kitchen, and soon, the store bell jingled as I listened to him leave. I glanced over at Bastien, who shook his head with a deep gurgle.

“Don’t give me that look,” I huffed, glancing back at Cypress’ candle. “I didn’t think it was real.”

Knowing my night with Cypress wasn’t a dream frightened me. We had been intimate with one another, a goddess and human. And while it scared me, knowing she could easily enter my dreams and haunt me, it also excited me.

It was real. All of it.

T he sun began to set as Bastien and I followed the trail of my magic. I had used it to track Tuft, following the glittering burgundy dust as it led us to the town cemetery. My magic dissolved into the night sky as we entered the local cemetery, built when the small bayou town was first founded. Above-ground tombs and statues covered the land as far as the eye could see, the city of the dead almost equal to the number of living. Together, Bastien and I walked a few feet in, admiring the architecture, when I stopped, spotting him.

Tuft.

His ivory skin nearly reflected the moonlight, his blue hair magnified by the night sky as he sat on the roof of an empty tomb, staring up at the heavens with a sad longing.

“How did you find me?” he asked as we quietly approached. His legs were crossed while his eyes peered into the heavens. My fingers flourished, three maroon fireflies forming from them. They fluttered from my palm and circled the sad man, causing him to exhale a quiet laugh.

“Figures.” He gently blew the magical bugs away.

“What are you searching for up there in the clouds?” I asked. He took a large breath and glanced over his shoulder back at me.

“Home.”

Home?

“I don’t understand. What home could you possibly have up—” I silently answered my own question, Tuft smiling as if I repeated it back to him. “But if your home is up there,” I stated, pointing to the sky. “Then that means…” My voice trailed as I looked at him, really, truly looked at him. Tuft nodded his head ever so lightly.

“I am a celestial.”

I knew he wasn’t exactly human. I mean, he couldn’t have survived in the Underworld for so long if he was. But I guess I never really stopped to think about what he was…but a celestial? Did that mean Tuft was a god? No, he couldn’t be.

“I know, I know,” he chuckled. “You probably thought all celestials were golden gods or fiery demons, but we’re not. Some of us, though lower standing in the heavens, are simple beings from the heavens. We have no special purpose or power, but we are just as beautiful as the gods in our unique ways. I, for example, am what they call a Pegasus. Well—I was a Pegasus…” His smile dropped, those liquid gold eyes falling as a painful memory fell over him.

A Pegasus? But those aren’t human, not entirely. They’re creatures—horses with…

“Your scars.” I pointed to his back, hidden beneath a casual shirt. “Are they from—”

“My wings,” he whispered. “Yes. Oh, you should’ve seen them, Iris-Marie. I had the most magnificent wings. They were ivory, dusted in a golden sparkle, and stretched twice my height. Gods, they were beautiful! So beautiful, humans would cry over the very sight of them. And they were strong. I would soar the heavens and whizz through the clouds with little effort or stride, flying to my heart’s content. I’m telling you, you would have truly admired them.” I could see his eyes swell with tears as he told me the tale of his old self. “Everything was perfect when I had my wings. And now,” he sniffled, wiping his face, “well, you’re not the only one who fell for Cypress’ tricks.”

“What did she do to you?” I asked, stepping closer.

“She did what she does best. She offered me the very thing I desired. Like you, I made a deal. Only, she didn’t take my soul. I gave it to her.”

“You—you gave Cypress your soul? Willingly?”

He nodded. “Without hesitation—but in exchange for the return of another’s.” The very idea of Tuft giving up his soul so effortlessly baffled me. Who would do such a thing without thought?

“Whose? Whose soul did you trade yours for? And why did she take your wings? If your home is the heavens, why are you helping her? Tuft, none of it makes sense.” He smirked, brushing his hair from his face before he patted the roof of the tomb. I looked back at Bastien, who nodded to me with a low growl.

“Oh, relax, you scaled beast. It’s not her fault alligators can't climb.” Tuft teased Bastien as he hissed back at him. I stepped around the alligator and climbed up the side of the tomb, joining Tuft on the roof. He was playing with a weed, plucking it to pieces as those golden irises watched me closely. “I suppose with everything unfolding, it’s only fair to tell you my story.”

“You don’t have to, not if it’s too painful.” I gently touched his arm, feeling one of his many deep scars. My fingertips grazed the raised mark, curious to know how he gained so many.

What could cause such damage?

“Have you ever heard of the shadow beast that guards the Underworld? Cerberus?” he asked, as if hearing my inner thoughts. My eyes raised as I shook my head. “Well, these scars are from that very demon.”

“It attacked you?”

“In its defense, I attacked it first.” He raised a brow.

“What? Why?”

“Sadly, my story goes back over a century, reaching all the way to the end of the celestial war between Ozias and Cypress. Back then, I lived in the heavens amongst the clouds, and I sided with them in their fight against the darkness.” I made a face, unsettled by the fact that Tuft had chosen to side with Ozias as heir. Tuft noticed my expression. “Oh no, no, no. I see that cold judgement in your eyes. I didn’t choose Ozias’ side because of the whole entitled sexist thing. It’s more…complicated.”

“Oh really?” I crossed my arms with a huff. “Complicated how? If it’s not as you say, then why did you side with Ozias? Why didn’t you choose to fight for Cypress if you knew the throne was her birthright?” My brow flicked.

“Let me finish,” he groaned. “If you want to judge me, fine. Just let me tell the whole story first before you go lecturing me.” My lips pressed together as I made a face, quietly waiting for him to continue. “I fought for him because, well, I had to.”

“Not making a ton of sense here, Tuft.”

“Okay, okay.” He took a deep breath. “I was in love—am in love—”

“With Ozias?” I shouted, completely shocked.

“No! Shhh!” Tuft tried to cover my mouth, frantically glancing around as if what he was telling me was a giant secret. “Not Ozias.” His hands lowered, his head hanging in defeat as he braced himself. “With his son. We—we were together when the war began. A couple. We fought alongside each other for a long time, not because I agreed with his opinions, but because I loved him so much that all I could see myself doing was whatever he wanted. My beliefs became his. Once the war began, Cypress knew the only place she would be safe was down in the lowest pits of hell. Ozias’ power was weak there, whereas her own was oddly more powerful. No one knows why. But alas, I, unfortunately, just happened to be present when this plan was hatched. Ozias asked me to join them, and well, who was I to deny the great god of the heavens, father of my love? So, I agreed. The three of us traveled to the Underworld, and while Ozias faced Cypress, his son and I faced Cerberus, the shadow beast guarding the Underworld. We didn’t know Ozias was going to leave us there alone once he stole her soul!” I noticed the veins in his hands bulging as he tried to calm himself. “Ozias left us behind to deal with Cerberus. That’s where I gained these beauties.” He motioned to his scar-riddled body. “Before I landed the fatal blow, the demon attacked his son, which wouldn’t have been a big deal except he’s only a demi-god. Therefore, he’s part mortal, vulnerable. I tried to save him, but the wounds were too deep. I may be a celestial, but I’m no god. I have no powers like they do.”

He clenched his fists. “He died in front of me, Iris-Marie. The man I love died in my arms!” Tears fell down his cheeks. “I had to helplessly watch the love of my life, the son of the heavens, take his last breath in the deepest, darkest depths of hell! Do you know what it does to a person, to watch your soulmate die before you? It breaks you!” Tuft began to cry as I held him close, breaking alongside him. “My screams must’ve alerted Cypress, because she found us just as his soul began to leave his body. I expected her to take it and murder me for killing her guard dog, but instead, s-she comforted me. She held me just like you now and let me pour my shattered heart into her chest. Then, when I thought all was lost, she whispered to me. She told me I could save him, that she would restore the demi-god’s soul, but only if I agreed to give her mine in exchange.”

“Oh, Tuft.” My heart broke for him.

“So, like a lovestruck fool, I agreed. I didn’t know what it meant or what I’d have to do, but I knew I had to save him, to do whatever it took, because if he had the chance to do the same for me, he would.” He pulled away, wiping his face. “But like all her other twisted deals, there was a catch. Gods, there’s always a fucking catch!” His reddened eyes looked up at me. “I could never be with my love again, not as long as she held my soul. And like any other soul she claimed, I was at the mercy of her will. I’ve spent centuries obeying her every whim, enduring her torture and abuse—all her sick games in the empty hopes of one day gaining my soul back. Without it, I’m a shell of who I once was. All I had left to remind me of myself, of our love, was my wings. And when the last human soul to make a deal with her failed, she decided it was my fault. As such, my punishment was the loss of my wings. I’ll never forget the day I lost them, the day she used her shadows to pin me down as she ripped my wings from my body. I tried to stop her, screaming and begging her to punish me in any other way, but she only laughed. Once she had my bloodied wings in her grasp, she revealed a glimpse of her true form to me, and without any hesitation, she opened her mouth and consumed my wings.”

“She ate them?” My stomach grew sick, imagining her unnatural mouth stretching large to devour his wings, how he must have felt, watching her do so as his back bled out.

“The same as she does lost souls: ingesting them into that pit of her body and away from existence. Only she can reach into her grotesque stomach and return them.”

“Is that even possible?” I asked.

Tuft shrugged. “I truly hope so. She promised them to me before I came here. In exchange for helping you succeed, she said she would return them to me, alongside my soul.” He chucked the plucked weed aside. “All I want is to return to the heavens, Iris-Marie, to fly back into the arms of my demi-god, wings and soul intact, and never leave the clouds again. I want to forget all about the Underworld, all the torture I’ve endured, and that fucking demon goddess who resides within it.” He sighed. “But to do so, I must help you fulfill your favor. I have to help you kill Ozias.”

“But—” I scooted closer. “If you help me, won’t that mean by killing Ozias, the father of the very man you love…won’t that hurt him?” He nodded in shame. “Tuft, you can’t do that.”

“I don’t have a choice, Iris!” I flinched in response to his temper. “Don’t you see? If I fail to deliver Ozias to her again—”

“Wait—so she’s tried to use a human to defeat her brother before?”

Tuft smirked “No offense, but you really don’t listen, do you? I mean, Iris, you didn’t think you were the first human she’s tried to use to get her revenge, did you?”

Of course not. The idea of being Cypress’ first human she entrusted to seek her revenge was a bit of a stretch to expect, but that didn’t mean the idea of her using another, especially in a sexual way, didn’t sting. The bigger concern was how I felt. Why did the thought of Cypress and someone else bother me?

“Oh, you did.” He made me sound so pathetic.

“No! I mean—shut up!” Tuft made a face as I smacked his arm. “What happened to the others anyways? Obviously, they didn’t succeed. But did she—” I stopped as my throat began to burn. “Did Cypress use them all the same?” Tuft eyed me closely.

“Cypress can’t love anyone but herself, Iris. No one that evil can possess a heart. I told you before, she uses humans to do her bidding, in every way you can imagine and more. Don’t let her spell drag you down like the rest. You are stronger, and you have to remain strong to fight back. Trust me, the last thing you want is to belong to her more than you already do. You don’t want to become one of her pets, tossed into the Abyss or stuck in the Underworld until time collapses in on itself. It’s a fate far worse than death.”

Tuft was right. I needed to remain strong and keep my wits about me. But how? How could I even succeed, let alone escape our deal without losing my soul? Or my life?

“What are we going to do?” My whispered question left us both in silence as we observed the stars, twinkling in the night sky above.

“I guess we do what she wants. We use that potion on Ozias and make him mortal—a human, just like you.” Anxiety began to build in my chest.

“And if, by some miracle, I do succeed in using the potion on the great god of the heavens, what am I supposed to do next? Do I let Cypress take over? Or am I supposed to…” I stopped, dreading the thought.

“You must be the one to kill him.” Tuft’s words were empty and hollow.

“I can’t do that, Tuft. I can’t just kill another person, let alone a fucking god, even if he is mortal!”

“You’re a witch, Iris. If killing a human bothers you, why not just use your magic and Cypress’ power to change him into something else? Like a frog—”

“A frog? Really? Because that’s so much easier.” I rolled my eyes.

“Hey, my job isn’t to make yours easier or ease your consciousness. My job—my only job—is to make sure you get Ozias to drink that potion. And once he does, you must kill him. If you don’t, Cypress will kill us both. It’s kill or be killed, Iris-Marie.” I scoffed at his words, despising what was expected of me. I dragged my knees to my chest and rested my head across them as the anxiety and pressure of everything built in my chest.

“I don’t want to fucking do this,” I whispered to myself, loud enough for Tuft to hear.

“Neither do I, but we made our deals. Now, it’s time to face the consequences.” He touched my shoulder gently. “But you’re not alone. We’re in this together.”

“What’re we going to do?” I breathed. “How do we even lure a god back to us?” Tuft sat quiet for a minute, thinking.

“I guess you keep doing what you’ve been doing. Summon souls, perform tricks, use Cypress’ power. You’ve already caught his attention once, enough to drag him down here to your shop. Maybe, if you keep performing, he’ll be forced to confront you as his ethereal self. And when he does, I’ll do everything I can to make sure he drinks that potion.” I leaned over to Tuft, the two of us stuck in this sick game between gods. He rubbed my back and released another heavy sigh.

“You’re not alone. I’m here, Iris-Marie, and I'll do everything I can to save your soul.”