Suoh's Seals

“Why are you glowing blue?”

Nell stared at the creature before her.

It was a strange question to be asking. Out loud. Admittedly to herself. Because she knew nobody else was around to answer her. Yet here Nell was, asking it nevertheless.

It was a valid question. After all, the other couple of times she’d snuck off to snoop around the property, the strange beast certainly had not been glowing like a lit lantern.

Having just been recently hired, perhaps nosing about was not the smartest of Nell’s ideas. Especially with an employer like Idris Willard. But the confined creature intrigued Nell. For she had never seen anything quite like it.

She had initially assumed it dead, or at the very least close to it, as it lay in a constant unmoved state against the concrete within its putrid confinements. But tonight was a different story. Tonight it was upright and moving. Well, sort of.

Apparently, the effects of the glowing gave it the strength to look considerably less like it was about to give up the ghost. In actuality, the new look had beautified its normally depressing features.

Its short legs appeared as if they could actually support the rest of its bodyweight - another feat Nell had failed to see until today.

Its long body had unfurled from its usual position around itself. The imperfections, many wounds, and filth plastered over the creature’s emaciated frame were presently blurred by the vibrant azure that was encasing it.

It had a long muzzle, but its mouth remained sealed shut by tightly bound rope. On the bridge of its snout keratin grew into an uneven exposed bony horn-like structure.

Between its huge ears, more traditional-looking horns grew out from its skull. The smooth ivory reached back in a clean motion towards its body.

Although ratty and unkempt, a greyish teal mane grew out from the top of its head. It reached all the way down its long neck, along its protruding spine, and ended enthusiastically bushy at the tip of its lengthy tail.

In addition, the creature was not the only thing strangely lit in blue tonight. The lower portion of the little prison was made up of concrete barriers - the bars that were cemented into it were thoroughly covered in pieces of paper charms. Despite them being out against the elements, and the structure itself looking eroded with age, the talismans remained unaffected. And tonight the squiggles inked into them also shined exuberantly.

The cage that the poor creature was kept in was the furthest one out in the yard of Sir Willard’s property. And it was also only one of the few that still actually contained something.

Once exhibits he had proudly showed off - or so Nell had heard - Willard’s private zoo of exotic beasts now dwindled. But even as age began to catch up to the brutish man, he still boasted himself as a “proud collector”. Most of the creatures were now instead preserved in jars, taxidermied, or their bones reconstructed for show inside his office which doubled as his private museum. A place that sent shivers down Nell’s spine.

Nell dared herself to step closer towards the cruel spectacle. Squinting through the brightness of the curious light.

Normally the serpent-shaped creature’s eyes were lidded shut upon its shadowy sunken face. But for the first time, she witnessed its head rise upwards and its eyes were opened wide.

Its pupils were flat and murky. Nell wondered if the poor thing could even see at all. But its bright verdant irises absorbed the particles of shimmering moonlight greedily.

Nell stared in awe as she regarded the beautiful eyes glistening like brilliant emeralds.

And then it looked away from the night sky and at Nell. Stared directly at her, unblinking. Straight into her own marbled grey eyes. Those eyes were so pained, yet glimmered against the reflection of the vivid full moon. It pierced deep into her soul and tugged heavily at Nell’s heartstrings.

Not a word was spoken, but Nell just knew; This creature had been here a long time. Its body was bruised and battered. But it was determined. It was still fighting. And it didn’t want to give up.

Its gaze unwavering, the restraints firmly clasped against its legs clattered as it shakily took shuffling steps towards Nell. The shackles were also glowing vibrantly, exaggerating the incantations etched into them.

Nell couldn’t read it, but it was obvious many of the bright markings that were currently visible were spells of some kind.

Magic had to have been playing some part as, even in the creature’s weakened state, surely under normal circumstances it would be able to break free from the rusting chains and pull itself from the deteriorating cage. The bars of the prison didn’t even seem to be able to hold upright against the cracked and crumbling concrete base anymore.

Nell’s hands adjusted their grip against the cold steel. She was sure she could slip easily between some of the uneven gaps. It would not take much for her to be able to reach in and-

Bang!

Nell suddenly let out a shriek as something slammed painfully against Nell’s face with a loud clang.

A metal waste pail noisily clattered to Nell’s feet. The contents - which appeared to be a sloshy variety of leftover kitchen scraps - soaked into her raggedy work attire.

In the moment that Nell recoiled from the bars and turned to her assailant, a piece of parchment that had been wrapped around the metal came away with her hand. Nell immediately instinctively peeled the strip of paper off, only to have the glowing characters printed on the page come away and sear against her skin.

Nell resisted letting out an audible hiss and clenched her hand tightly to hide it. After it had drifted to the ground, she kicked the now-blank piece of paper under her boot.

Vera’s face was dark red, and the wrinkles on her face scrunched together with anger as she latched onto Nell’s wrist. A pained whimper escaped Nell’s lips as the touch escalated the burning sting within her palm.

Vera either hadn’t noticed or didn’t care as she dragged Nell back down the path that headed back toward Sir Willard’s main house. Scooping the dented bucket up as she passed it, trout bones and mouldy vegetable scraps crushed under the head housekeeper’s work boots as she walked.

“What did you think you were doing?” Vera snapped at Nell once the blue glow was a significant distance behind them.

Nell almost lost balance as Vera roughly released her hold, and then shoved Nell backward.

Nell plucked a rouge peel of potato skin from her braided hair before she sheepishly looked up at the old woman.

“Well? You silly little girl.” Vera continued as she awaited a response.

Vera always had a stern expression. But the shadows of the night cast against her face, exaggerating it into something even scarier.

She most certainly was not a tall woman, but Nell was still short in comparison. In fact, Nell was shorter than most. And baby-faced to boot.

She was in actuality not a child, as many assumed. Granted, Nell pretended she wasn’t sure how old she was. Secretly, she was approaching twenty now. But when you’re someone that now shares the same hierarchical status as that of an earthworm, it’s not worth keeping track of such things. And if anything, being assumed young and inexperienced worked in Nell’s favour. Sometimes beatings were less brutal and more chances were given.

“I was just sweeping the pathways. Like I was told to do,” Nell lied, hoping Vera wouldn’t ask to see the broom that Nell didn’t have. “But then I saw the blue light. And when I followed it to see-”

“Are you a moth?” Vera cut into Nell’s explanation.

“Um.” Nell blinked at the question.

Vera’s foot stamped against the definitely not recently swept footpath. A couple of crickets leapt out of a nearby mound of grass to avoid her wrath.

“What is Sir Willard’s first rule?”

Nell’s spine stiffened and she bit her lip. There were a lot of rules that came with working for the harsh man, but the first rule was hard to forget.

“You must not ever take what belongs to the Willard’s.” Nell recited.

Vera stood with her hands dominantly against her hips.

“I was only looking.” Nell insisted as she glanced back from where she had been caught.

Vera did not seem convinced and her expression did not waver.

“It was glowing,” Nell exclaimed in wonder.

The pain in her hand crept up Nell’s arm in strange little tingles. She clenched her fist tighter on itself to curb the strange sensation.

For just a moment, Vera’s composure broke off as she followed Nell’s line of sight.

"Suoh always glows when the moon is full.” She muttered with a sigh.

“Why is that?” Nell asked softly, enthralled and hoping the seasoned worker would reveal more.

“None of your business.” Vera suddenly snapped back. “Stick to your duties next time - and stay away from Sir Willard’s projects. Otherwise, you may regret the consequences.”

The unimpressed woman was glaring again as she pushed Nell to keep moving.

“You’re done for the day. Now back to your room.”

“But-”

“Shoo!”

Nell brushed a chunk of fish tail off of her shoulder. She did as instructed and headed further down the hill towards her sleeping quarters.

Nell glanced back. Just once.

Vera stood with a stern posture, her arms folded, and sharp features blending into the dark. But the soft gleam of blue was still visible far back in the distance behind her.

Nell tried to shake out the uncomfortable sting of her hand as she begrudgingly left the strange scene behind her.

She left with more questions than answers.