Monsters

Prologue

“Mother? Are you going out again tonight?”

The woman paused in the middle of undressing, straightened up in slight surprise, then breathed a silent exhale before turning a gentle smile back at her darling daughter. Gia knew that smile—it always crept across her mother’s lips whenever she’d been caught doing something she was trying to hide. That smile had only appeared once before, when she’d walked in to find her constructing a Guardian coat.

“What are you doing awake at this hour, little one?” her mother asked, stepping forward and fully opening the bedroom door from which Gia was peeking through. “My darling, you should be in bed. It’s late, and you need to wake up early tomorrow.” She smiled as she ran her fingers through Gia’s hair. “You begin training for your role in the morning.”

“I know,” Gia said, crossing the room and climbing onto the bed. “But why are you going out?” Her mother paused again, her gaze focused on the floor in defeat. She’d been caught again—she knew she could no longer keep this secret. “Why do you go out at night?”

Her mother only glanced back up at her, briefly thinking her words over, before continuing to undress in silence. Gia understood and remained quiet—she knew better than to press. It would only lead to more silence, as well as a brief annoyed look. She simply sat in silence and watched her mother dress, patiently waiting for her to answer in her own time.

As expected, her mother dressed in masculine clothing. Specifically, the assigned uniform of the Guardians: a white sleeveless button-up shirt, black trousers, grey running boots, and a long black, lightweight coat. Gia had known for a long time that her mother was going out on the Guardians’ assigned nights, sneaking into the surrounding woods to join them in battling the Beasts.

She had never seen the Beasts, herself—the Guardians made sure of that. Their job was to protect the village from those monsters, and they would venture out into the forest at night and battle the unseen creatures. Oftentimes, Gia would overhear the more experienced Guardians boast about how many of the creatures were slain.

From what she’d heard around the village, the Beasts were canine-like in appearance. They had the body structures and faces of wolves, but were around the size of cows, maybe even horses at the absolute largest. Their eyes glowed red in the darkness, their jagged fangs glinted in the moonlight, and their large talons were sharp enough to leave deep gashes in tree trunks. Sometimes, the Guardians would bring back the slain creatures’ pelts to be made into coats and shawls by the Seamstresses—their fur was pitch-black and coarse in texture.

Gia hoped she would go her whole life without ever encountering these monsters.

Once her mother was fully dressed, she turned back to Gia with a worried frown etched across her face. The tell-tale sign that whatever she had to say wasn’t good; at the sight of it, Gia pressed her lips into a straight line and clasped her hands together, drumming her fingers against her knuckles in anxiety and anticipation.

“Gianna.” Her murmured name escaped her mother’s lips, but rather than continue speaking, she merely shook her head before kneeling down beside the bed and reaching under it. “Your father.”

Gia stiffened at the mention of her father. She’d never known him, for he’d disappeared not long before she was born. All she knew about him was the descriptions her mother gave: a lean man of tall stature, a kind look in his eyes, and dark hair that’d been slowly greying, despite being quite young; a helpful person who wouldn’t hesitate to assist those in need; and a loving husband who was excited at the prospect of being a father. That was all she knew.

“What about him?” she asked, watching as her mother pulled a large wooden trunk from under the bed. She voiced a silent gasp as her mother opened its lid, looking over the assortment of weapons that laid inside. Two swords, several knives, and a crossbow and arrows. These were the typical weapons of a Guardian. Gia had only seen them from a distance.

As far as she knew, these tools were only crafted for each individual Guardian by the Blacksmiths; with that knowledge in mind, she couldn’t help but wonder where her mother had retrieved these weapons. Had she bribed the Blacksmiths into crafting them for her, or had she stolen them?

She held her breath in anticipation as her mother selected each weapon from the trunk. The arrows and crossbow were slung over her shoulders, the knives were stored in the pockets inside her coat, and the swords were holstered at her hips.

“Those monsters,” her mother breathed, returning to her feet before turning her soft gaze back to Gia. “They’re the cause of your father’s disappearance.”

This revelation came as the kind of shock where you couldn’t react at first. It took a moment for those words to register in Gia’s head, and once they did, her eyes widened in horror as a pit formed in her stomach.

“They…killed him?” she murmured, clutching at the hem of her nightgown. Her mother’s lips were pressed together, and she hesitated for a moment before finally nodding. This affirmation only exacerbated the horror that Gia was experiencing. To learn that her father had been killed by those monsters was too horrible for her young mind to grasp.

“I was…informed of this sometime ago,” her mother explained, turning a suppressed wrathful glower toward the window. “I will avenge him.” Gia turned her own worried gaze toward the window as well, terrified of the idea that her mother was going out and fighting these creatures in vengeance for her husband’s death. She feared the idea that her mother would fall in battle and be brutally mauled by the Beasts. What would she do without her mother? She had no other family in the village.

Her mother noticed her worried expression before taking a seat on the edge of the bed, a warm smile replacing her stifled rage.

“Do not worry,” she reassured, reaching a hand up and gently caressing Gia’s cheek. “I will always come back. Especially when I have your charm on hand.” Gia’s head perked up at the mention of that, finally managing a little smile.

This crafting of charms was a tradition set by the village’s third Elder, or at least, that’s what Gia had learned in school.

According to her Teacher, the third Elder received a handmade charm from her young grandchild made from a stone, strings, and anything else they could find, supposedly to bring her good luck. The Elder was so touched by this gesture, she’d made it a tradition: once the village’s children reached the age of nine, they were to craft a charm to bring good health and protection to their parents. A way to honor the parents of the village, and what better way to honor them than with a thoughtful gift from the little loves of their lives?

Honestly, the story behind the tradition struck Gia as somewhat unrealistic. The gesture was thoughtful, but the idea of these charms actually bringing such luck to anyone seemed a bit fantastical. But now, if it turned out that these charms were capable of such things, then she would put all of her faith in them. If anything, to ensure her mother’s safety.

“It’ll protect you,” Gia beamed, earning a more genuine smile from her mother. “You always carry it when you go out at night, right?” She couldn’t help but notice the brief pause in her mother’s demeanor before she nodded and returned to standing. The urge to question it bubbled up in her mind, but her mother smiled and spoke before she could.

“Yes, always. As long as I have it, I will always return home safely,” she affirmed, which brought the smile back to Gia’s face. “Now, you must go to sleep. You have a big day tomorrow.” Her smile faded to an unsure frown at the sound of this, and she turned a nervous glance toward the bedroom door. She’d never been comfortable sleeping in the house alone, always aware of when her mother left the house to join the Guardians. On these nights, she would always remain awake until she heard her mother return. But tonight, she couldn’t do that—she needed to be well-rested and alert tomorrow for her role training.

“May I sleep here tonight?” It was an idea that had only just popped into her head, one that she assumed may help her sleep better. Sleeping in her mother’s bed usually helped when she couldn’t sleep at night, but even then, she was unsure if it would calm her fears of being in the house alone.

Her mother chuckled and nodded, darting a slightly impatient glimpse back toward the door.

“Of course you may,” she said, motioning for Gia to get under the covers with a sweeping motion of the hand. Gia obeyed and crawled under the blankets, laying back as her mother tucked her in and planted a quick kiss on her forehead.

“I love you, my sweet Gianna,” her mother whispered, turning and heading toward the door. Before she could cross the threshold, she paused and turned back to her dear daughter. “I’ll see you in the morning.” Gia nodded, blowing a kiss to her dear mother as she closed the door.

She listened to her mother’s receding footsteps, and winced slightly at the distant sound of the front door opening and closing. She will be safe, she told herself, swallowing the forming lump in her throat. She has my charm. She doubted her own reassurance, and with this doubt came creeping feelings of frustration and anxiety. What if these charms didn’t actually work? What if they were just useless trinkets, only good for taking up space?

Such thoughts only worsened her worries, and she grasped at the blankets before pulling them over her head. Please let these charms work. Please let it protect my mother.

She laid frozen for a moment longer before curling up and closing her eyes, listening to the distant sounds of the night outside. The crickets chirping, the wind whistling through the leaves of the trees, and the occasional howl of the faraway Beasts. She squirmed at these sounds, worry continually gnawing at her mind—the sound of those howls only conjured up more doubts about her mother’s safety.

These fears made it even more difficult for her to fall asleep, something that brought a small sense of annoyance to her. She needed to fall asleep, or else she would be an exhausted mess for her training tomorrow, and that was likely to earn a scolding from the people assigned to teach her.

She tossed and turned for what felt like hours before finally sitting up in irritation, rubbing at her eyes with the heels of her palms. Perhaps a drink of water would help her—it usually did when she had problems sleeping at night.

She flinched as another distant howl echoed outside, then pulled the covers back and slipped out of bed. The wooden floor creaked under her weight as she tip-toed out of the room.

She glanced around at the front room, frowning at the shapes lurking in the darkness. She knew it was just the furniture in the room, so why did they always resemble oddly-shaped creatures in the dark?

“Light,” she murmured, opening her palm and following her mother’s instructions of how to cast a torch spell. All she had to do was focus on the center of her palm, visualize a collection of energy gathering there, and imagine a flame appearing.

Easier said than done—she’d only had minimal practice in casting minor magik. It took her a good five minutes before a tiny blue flame sparked to life in her palm. I did it, she mentally cheered, a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth before heading into the kitchen area.

The jugs of water were kept in the cupboard beside the door, and she almost reached it before something sitting on the countertop caught her attention. The light from her torch reflected off the little stone in flecks, a sight that would normally bring her a sense of awe, but now made her chest tighten in horror.

A little white stone, decorated in blue tassels and beads.

Her charm.

Her mother had forgotten it.

“Did I…?” She couldn’t even finish that statement, the idea that she’d caused her mother to forget it too horrifying for her to say aloud. No, her mother couldn’t forget it—it was supposed to keep her safe while she was out fighting. It would allow her mother to return home safely. If she didn’t have it, what would happen?

She didn’t allow herself to think about it any longer, the little blue torch extinguishing as she rushed back to her bedroom and threw open her wardrobe. She pulled on her dressing gown and a pair of boots, then ran back to the front room and grabbed the charm. She would bring this to her mother, even if she was risking her own life in doing so, even if she was disobeying the village’s rules. No one other than the Guardians were allowed in the forest at night—it was too dangerous. But she wasn’t going to let her mother get hurt or even killed because of her mistake.

She took a deep breath before stepping out of the house, glancing around at the village as she closed the door behind her. She’d never seen it at night—it was so quiet and peaceful, illuminated by the full moon’s glow. To think that, without the Guardians, nighttime in the village would be so different. There’d be Beasts wandering around, maybe breaking into houses and attacking the inhabitants.

She swallowed the fearful lump in her throat as she turned to face the woods, her heart hammering in her chest and her stomach twisting in knots. Her mind raced with thoughts of encountering a Beast—that was the last thing she ever wanted. She stayed where she was for a second, contemplating her mission, then glanced down at the charm in her hand. It was supposed to bring protection to her mother, so maybe it’d do the same for her…or at least, she hoped so.

With that thought in mind, she breathed in deeply before trotting toward the trees.

* * *

The woods were much darker than the village—it was as if the moonlight couldn’t penetrate the forest grounds, forever keeping the wooded area drenched in complete darkness. It was a full moon tonight, and yet it did nothing to illuminate Gia’s surroundings. She briefly considered attempting to conjure a torch again but dismissed this, as that would make her easily spotted by the Beasts. If anything, perhaps the darkness was a good thing, as it kept her hidden.

She flinched and ceased her running at a sudden yelp coming from somewhere near her, though she managed to keep her startled gasp quiet. It sounded like a dog had been injured—it must’ve been a Beast, perhaps hurt by a Guardian. She remained where she was for a moment, trembling like a leaf in a storm from this scare, before she dry-swallowed and continued deeper into the woods, keeping the charm clutched in her fist.

Soon enough, the sounds of battle surrounded her. Growls and snarls, howls, yelps, groans of pain, and grunts of effort came from every direction, thankfully never coming too close to her. She looked around as she ran, her eyes beginning to adjust to the darkness. Every so often, she caught a glimpse of a silhouette in the distance, the shapes of humans fighting canine-like creatures.

Please, mother, she prayed, stopping beside a large tree and crouching down beside it to rest for a moment. She wanted to remain as invisible as possible, even if she was fully hidden by the darkness. Where are you?

A brief thought crossed her mind that her mother had already fallen in battle, a thought that made her shudder and shake her head in an attempt to purge this image from her mind. She’s fine, she assured herself, pressing the charm to the center of her chest. She’s okay. I’ll deliver this charm to her, and happily accept her scolding for entering the forest. And then we’ll return home and I’ll go to sleep, and wake up tomorrow morning for my training. The rapid beating of her heart began to settle a bit as these thoughts passed through her mind. Yes, her mother was all right, and she would deliver the charm to her.

She stood back up to continue her mission, then paused as her hand brushed against an odd texture on the tree. She looked it over for a moment, her eyes widening at the sight of large slashes displayed upon it. Three large gashes, deep enough to cause concern. These animals must’ve been extremely strong to inflict gashes this deep, and with this realization came returning panicked thoughts of what had happened to her mother. She knew these monsters were large, but for some reason, how truly big they were hadn’t registered to her. The sizes of cows and horses—that was enormous, especially for a little girl like herself.

A soft whimper escaped her lips as she stared at these scratches, her breathing growing shallow and erratic as her heart pounded in her chest. Tears gathered in her eyes as a sheet of cold sweat settled on her skin. I’m scared, she thought, her grasp on the charm tightening. Why am I out here? Why…?

No, she needed to get away from here—she knew that if she remained staring at these gashes, her mind would only grow more panicked. She would either turn and run back to the village, risking her mother’s life as she escaped, or she would spiral into a severe panic. Just collapse to the ground and begin crying and sobbing, making her a clear and easy target for any nearby Beasts. Neither of those two outcomes were acceptable, and with that knowledge in mind, she quickly gathered her thoughts and trotted away, glancing around as she did.

Where are you, mother? Anything else that crossed her mind caused her anxiety, and this was the only thing she could think of that reminded her of her mission, the urgency of it. She needed to deliver this charm to her mother, to ensure her safety. So, for all the time that she ran through the woods, this same thought repeated over and over in her mind. Where are you? Where are you? Where are…?

She froze as her eyes focused on something up ahead, and she silently crept forward and knelt down beside a large bush.

Her mother. It had to be her mother—she could tell by the figure’s long hair, pulled back into a low ponytail. All of the Guardians were men, and the longest they wore their hair was about shoulder-length. None of them wore their hair this long, and that feature was all she needed to confirm the identity of the figure before her.

Her mother was facing away from her, in a stand-off against a pair of eyes that glowed red in the darkness. A…a Beast? Her eyes widened in horror as they flitted between her mother and the creature. She’d finally found her mother, only to catch her in the middle of a fight.

But…why aren’t they moving? This was the only logical question that could manifest through the fear that clouded her mind, and one that was so easily brushed off as she continued to take in the scene before her. It must’ve been a fight—there was no way it wasn’t. But they weren’t attacking each other, only standing and staring. Were they hurt?

“Mother.” Her mother visibly flinched at the sound of her tiny voice, and slowly turned her head to look at her. Her eyes were widened in shock and fear as they looked Gia up and down. Such an expression was foreign for her mother, and the sight of it only exacerbated the fear Gia was drowning in.

“You…you shouldn’t be here.” Of course those would be the first words her mother would say to her in this situation, but she couldn’t help but feel anxiety-riddled frustration at them. She’d risked her life just to deliver the charm to her, after all.

“Mother, you forgot your charm.” Her mother shook her head, her brows briefly furrowed in her own slight annoyance, then turned a quick glance back toward the red eyes before suddenly turning back to Gia and rushing toward her.

“No!” she yelled out, the urgency in her voice causing Gia to clamp her eyes shut in fear, placing her hands over her head in a feeble attempt of defense. The Beast must’ve been charging, and she didn’t want to see any more than its eyes. Their piercing red in stark contrast to the surrounding darkness was already horrifying, enough to make her chest ache and her stomach sink; to see the rest of it would…

She flinched at the sound of something thudding and squelching, and the following sounds of her mother grunting in pain and a low growling made her heart jump into her throat. She was too afraid to open her eyes, afraid to see her mother hurt.

“G…Gia.” She winced at her mother’s soft, raspy voice, and took a deep breath before forcing her eyes open.

The sight before her made her instantly regret this action, and the hand that wasn’t currently clutching the charm flew to her mouth as her horrified gaze focused on what laid before her.

Her mother was on her knees, a dark liquid dripping from her paling lips. Behind her, a large, black shape with glowing red eyes, its glinting fangs embedded in her shoulder. The Beast, it’d clamped its jaws down into her shoulder, perhaps severed a vital blood vessel in her neck—the blood dripping from her mother’s lips told her as much.

A steely taste filled Gia’s mouth as her eyes filled with tears, her heart thudding inside her chest as a small whimper escaped her lips.

“Mother…I’m sorry,” she breathed. “I…I just wanted you to be safe.” Her mother weakly nodded, releasing a wheezing breath as she placed a trembling hand to Gia’s head. The light in her eyes was fading, a sight that made Gia’s tears fall harder.

“I know,” she choked out, her hand slipping from where she’d placed it on her dear daughter’s head before hanging limp. “Gia, I…I’m so sorry.”

“Why?” Gia asked, the tears now blurring her vision as they oozed down her cheeks. She forced her hands to wipe them away before flinching as the Beast released her mother from its jaws, allowing her to drop down to the ground. She could only manage a fading glance back up at her darling daughter before her breathing stilled and the life in her eyes vanished. Gia’s breath caught in her throat at this sight, of her mother dead before her.

“Mother, why?” she exclaimed. “Why are you sorry?” A brief, choked sob escaped her lips before her breathing hitched as the Beast stepped forward. Her widened eyes flitted over the creature, taking in every detail as it glowered down at her. Its appearance matched the descriptions she’d heard around the village, and it was just as terrifying as she’d imagined.

Its red eyes looked her over intently as it leaned forward and sniffed at her face. She wanted to run. The moment she’d entered this forest, she’d been tempted to just turn on her heel and run home, where she’d be safe. Panic had wracked her mind as she’d continued on with her mission, fear-riddled thoughts yelling at her to simply run away. But now, at the very moment where the most sensible thing to do was run, she did nothing to move. She couldn’t, as the sight before her had left her completely paralyzed. All she could do was watch as the Beast sniffed at her, ready to kill her.

But that never happened. Instead, it stepped back before turning and running deeper into the forest. She watched it vanish into the shadows before returning her tear-filled gaze to her mother’s body.

“Mother…” she squeaked out, glancing down at the charm in her hand. This was her fault. She caused her mother to forget the charm, and then caused her mother’s death by distracting her from the battle. Why did she come here? Who was to say that her mother wouldn’t have done well without the charm? Who was to say this charm even brought protection in the first place?

“Hey!” A man’s voice, and she flinched slightly as she turned her attention up to the man running over to them. She knew him: he was the captain of the Guardians, and therefore the teacher of the boys who received that role. She couldn’t think of his name now—her mind felt too numb to think.

“My mother…” she murmured as he slowed to a stop in front of her. He glanced around for a second before kneeling down beside her, switching his attention between her and her mother.

“What happened?” he asked, motioning to her mother’s body with his eyes. She kept her gaze on the body before her, squeezing the charm in her hand. She could feel the edges of the rock digging into her palm, breaking the skin and drawing blood, but she only turned a brief glance down at it before dropping it from her grasp. She never believed in these things to begin with, and the moment she put some faith in their power, it caused her mother’s death. She hated the sight of it—if not for her own naivety based on the myth behind this item, her mother would be alive.

“The monster…” she choked out. The captain glanced down at her mother again before moving to scoop her up in his arms. She allowed him to, since she still felt like she couldn’t move. It was as if the trauma from this entire situation had robbed her of the ability to walk, to think, to function. Her mind felt blurry, like it wanted to go blank for a millennia—currently, that idea sounded much more pleasant than to acknowledge the carnage that had just taken place.

“It’s all right, girl,” the Guardian captain assured, glancing up as another Guardian came running up. This one was younger, still a teenager; perhaps this was one of his first nights out.

The captain looked the teenage Guardian up and down before holding Gia out to him.

“Garaile, take the girl back to the village. I’ll take care of the body.” The boy—Garaile—nodded before taking Gia in his arms and heading back in the direction of the village.

“What were you doing out here?” Garaile whispered to her once they were a decent amount of distance away from the captain and her mother, annoyance lacing his tone. “There’s a reason no one’s allowed in the woods at night.”