The City of Ionia

We made it to Clueknicks without an issue. It was an enclosed town with high security by the gate. Guards stationed with horses questioned people leaving and entering. The wall wasn’t too tall. It wasn’t like we couldn’t catch a glimpse of a few miniature buildings, but it wasn’t something one could casually leap over, even with assistance. But it was nothing compared to the wall surrounding paradise. One was a pebble. The other was a mountain.

After waiting in a decently large line, we reached the security check. The guard had a troubled face, wondering why Jeremy looked half–dead. Ruby smiled, claiming he got motion sickness from the horse—which was probably true since Harley did mention how Jeremy has terrible motion sickness. So, it’s not like it was a lie—but it wasn’t the complete truth.

Jeremy hadn’t said a word the entire way. He leaned on Ruby with his cheek against her back and his arms wrapped around her waist. There was no doubt he was traumatized. Harley, however, kept poking fun at him. She never got a reaction, though. His facial muscles must’ve taken the day off.

We successfully made it inside Clueknicks, and what Harley said was absolutely true. No street vendors were yelling their prices, no children playing in the streets, and no one looked filthy. Everyone was sophistically dressed in button-up shirts and slim dresses, carrying shopping bags. The roads were wide enough for carriages to go both ways. Shops were inside buildings, their entrances guarded by security.

Compared to the handful of towns I’d been to, this one seemed the most advanced. It didn’t even feel as if I was in the outside world. Could this be similar to Ionia? Could it?

We took a few steps into the city with our ride until we got stopped by a traffic guard. He told us we couldn’t ride horses without a professional card. Only carriage drivers were allowed to ride horses. He told us we could tie our horses by the entrance. There was an entire stable where people left their rides. And we did just that.

We walked the streets till we heard Ruby’s stomach growl. Harley turned around, shocked, as if it was the first time she heard a hungry stomach. Even Jeremy's dead eyes widened a bit.

“I saw advertisements for a bakery up ahead. Shall we go there?”

Who could say no to that?

As soon as we entered the bakery, we got slammed with the aroma of freshly baked food. Garlic bread sizzled on pans while melted with butter. Muffins rested behind glass in an assortment of flavors. The smell of rich tea leaves entered my nose, refusing to leave. Was this heaven? No. It was better than heaven.

I constantly swallowed. My mouth couldn’t stop watering. A waitress sat us at our table, handing us a two–sided menu. It took us about thirty seconds to decide what we wanted.

“Should I call the waitress now?”

Harley rolled her eyes in a sassy way. “Oh, now you start talking?”

“You’re on my case like a leach. Did I upset you in a way? If anyone should be upset, it’s me after you sexually harassed me.”

She pushed herself off the table, fuming anger. “Well, maybe if you didn’t leach onto Ruby all day, then maybe I wouldn’t have to go to the extreme.”

I don’t think ripping his pants off is justifiable, though.

Jeremy, who surprisingly stayed calm, shook his head in annoyance. “Why are you picking on me? What did I do to you?”

“Just be considerate for once,” she hissed.

There was a pause between them. A dead leaf could slice the tension. Jeremy shook his head once again, wiping his teary eyes.

“Fine,” he whimpered while getting up, “I’ll leave.” He turned around and exited the bakery.

Once he left, Harley clamped her head and elbows on the table, groaning with frustration. “Why is he like this?”

It was apparent she wasn’t speaking to us, but Ruby responded. “You can reflect that question onto yourself.”

“I don’t want to hear it from you. Jeremy wouldn’t be how he is if it wasn't for you.”

“And how is that?” she calmly asked with her fingers interlocked.

“Are you serious? He’s attached to you. You’re the only person he cares about, and it’s fucking annoying.” She paused to collect her breath. In a voice not soft enough for a whisper but not loud enough to be a normal tone, she stated, “I wish he considered other people’s feelings.”

I didn’t quite understand the situation. A few times, I considered interjecting, but I wasn’t sure if it was for the best. I did want to say something, though. I’d never seen Harley this frustrated, so this was new territory.

She slammed the table with her fist. I was surprised she didn’t break the table in two.

“I’m gonna beat the shit out of him.” She stormed off without getting her blueberry muffin.

I spoke once she left. “Should we go after her?”

Ruby, who was calm, shook her head. “It’s just a brother–sister squabble.”

“Wait a minute. Brother-sister?” How? There was no resemblance between the two.

“Biologically speaking, no. However, they do act like a pair of siblings. Fighting about every little thing, wanting what the other person has, competing for almost everything. The list is infinite.”

Thank goodness. It would’ve felt awkward learning it this way if it were true.

“So, what was Harely trying to say? You know, how Jeremy only cares about you and such.”

The waitress came just when Ruby opened her mouth. She took our order with a smile and left us be.

“It’s a pitiful story. Let’s just say that Jeremy was very unlucky.”

“Meaning?”

“Do you wish for the entire cup of tea,” she questioned.

I nodded my head without questioning myself.

“Very well. Bandits raided his village. They turned the place to ashes, killing the majority of his villagers and his entire family. I was there personally since it wasn’t a normal raid?”

I raised a brow. “Wasn’t a normal raid?”

“The Three Heads of Despair. A group of vicious, elite bandits who hardly show themselves unless it’s something worth importance. His village must’ve had something they wanted, leading them to attack. But they don’t raid like other bandits do. Their inhumane thrust for bloodshed drives them to do horrific things. I won’t speak on it because…” A chill ran down her back as her entire body shook. By that reaction alone, it was obvious that The Three Heads of Despair were no joke. The name spoke for itself.

“What about Jeremy? Did they kill his entire family?”

“Worse. They tortured them to the brink of death. Pulled fingernails, salt on wounds, chopped tongue, broken—”

“Stop!” I nibbled my finger. I knew I asked, but I didn’t want to hear what else she had to say.

I’d seen something similar. The more she spoke about it, the more those haunted memories emerged.

“Jeremy wasn’t physically tortured. They don’t torture children that way. Instead, they pin them down, forcing them to watch their family receiving a treatment worse than death. That’s what happened to Jeremy.”

“But you saved him, right? That’s why he’s all over you.”

“Saved? If you mean, I’m why he joined the cult, then yes. However, I didn’t save him from those bandits. We showed up when they were gone.”

My eyes widened in disbelief. “The cult's job is to protect the villages before a raid occurs. Why wait till after the raid happened to check on the village?”

“The Three Heads of Despair isn’t a group we can take lightly. We stood no chance against them and never will.”

They must’ve been on a different level to get Ruby like this. She didn’t look normal. She kept looking, playing with her fingers instead of them interlocked.

“So, Jeremy’s obsessed with you because you saved him?”

“Obsessed is a stretch. Jeremy made a promise to me. Because I saved him from loneliness, he constantly stayed by my side if I needed protection. Harley doesn’t know this. She assumes he’s obsessed with me simply because I saved him, as if I placed him under a magical spell. But he’s simply acting out of his own free will.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “It’s comforting having someone you care about by your side.”

The waitress came and handed us a cup of jasmine tea and a bag filled with a few pastries. Ruby took an elegant sip of her tea with her pinky up.

The door opened before Ruby could say anything, and familiar faces entered the bakery.

“Look who I found,” Harley shouted, probably forgetting we were in a public setting.

“You’re gonna let me choose, right?”

“Of course.”

Ignoring whatever the hell they were saying, I got up, ecstatic. “Jeremy! We got you your butter bread with jam.”

“Strawberry, right?”

“Ya,” I smiled.

His face lit up, thanking me for ordering his food.

“And me? Did you get me my blueberry muffin?”

I pulled it out of the bag, showcasing it to Harley. “Of course.”

She grabbed it from my hand and stuffed her face like a squirrel. Harley laughed at Jeremy for somehow getting jam on his nose. He rebelled, calling her names and such. The two continued as if they hadn't argued before.

How do you manage to get jam on your nose?

That made me scratch my head. But what shocked me was how easily they forgave each other. It’s like what Ruby said. It was just a brother–sister squabble. I couldn’t help but internally smile.

“Ok, let’s start with the plan.”

“Who made you a leader?”

“Quiet Harley.” Jeremy proceeded after he cleared his throat. “I say we go shopping next. No idea where, but somewhere.” “You’re eager to shop. I wonder why, huh,” Harley teased while elbowing him in the side.

Seriously, I really wanted to know where this was coming from.