Liliane and Lazar got out of the Burnsey’s house, alone. Thyme and Spyce got out of the old woman’s purse, and scuttled away, seemingly a bit afraid of the beasts that the couple wanted to meet soon.

  They walked for a bit, until they could clearly see the shed where Joseph the farmer had shown them the oxen before.

  The oxen were indeed back, under the shed. Well, one was actually floating in mid air over its roof, spinning, while an eerie red glow emitted from its eyes. The black one was staring at the event, with a frowning look that seemed really out of place on the beast of burden. It still wasn't the weirdest thing that Lazar and Liliane ever saw in their long lives, though, so they got closer without worrying too much. The air seemed to hum with a weird ethereal power, and it had taken a weird orange tint. The four dotted ox had a very human-like expression of… frustration?

  “I know you are not normal oxen”, started Liliane underlining the obvious and a bit fed up from the situation, “and that since you have been possessing the poor beasts for at least three moons, you did not have plans to leave them alone in short order. But! We need them, and we do not need you, now. So, we’re going to exorcise you, if you have nothing against it, and send you back to whatever plane of reality or unreality you came from. You’ll be free to possess something else. No hard feelings, this is just business”.

  “First though we'd like to understand if you're evil beings who have already tainted the oxen”, interjected Lazar “I'd hate to smite two young beasts, if the exorcism to get rid of you fails or they remain corrupted somehow… But I feel like I'd go for some steak right now. Really goes well with mushroom pie.”

  “As my ever hungry husband is saying, reveal your true form, stop doing the possession shtick, and let's see how alive or local you'll be after our short talk. Shall we?”

  The spinning ox gently descended, before stopping on the roof. The red light in its eyes dimmed, the power humming in the air stopped, while the spots in its forehead started lighting up, as did the ones on its brother.

  “Lowly mortals,” he began, with a booming voice that made the shed tremble, “how dare you speak with your betters in this way? Shouldn't age bring a person more wisdom? Don’t you understand the clear error of your ways? Why do you believe you can play with forces such as us?” said the brown one, mockingly.

  “Where are the betters you speak of? A nice dinner is all I can see in front of me. Maybe you should think before opening your snout again, you silly spirit.” quipped the old man.

  “I'm no lowly spirit!” the beast shouted, incensed, “ I'm a glorious daemon, the likes that birthed your Numens you so much adore! Denizens of all the planes and arbiters of right and wrong! Tremble and quake in front of our powers!”

  The air started smelling of ozone, the day became dark and sounds of thunder could be heard, like a storm was starting to rage. The eyes of the ox became white and shined like a star.

  Lazar slowly clapped. “I see that someone here is good at the art of deceit. Congrats. You said you are Daemons, right? Very well. I can do you one better.” he snapped his fingers and all of the ruckus ceased. The air went still. No sound could be heard anymore, not even the breathing of the two beasts. THe ox stopped emitting light, and floated down on the ground. Then the old illusionist started chanting, fast. A big barbecue appeared, already lit up, with rows of grills, a wall rose from the earth with a row of butcher knives fastened to it, and thick hooked chains started coming down from the ceiling of the shed. One touched the back of the Brown ox. He shivered and mooed meekly.

  “I think we started on the wrong foot, and I'm starting to feel a bit hungry.” said the old man, taking a knife out of his belt and picking his nails with it. “Who are you, what is your name, and why are you possessing these two oxen?”

  The black one put itself in front of its brother, putting distance between them and the couple. It had a gentle, composed face, and started to speak, slowly.

  “I beg you two great elders to forgive my brother Brama. You can call me Dulci. Me and my brother… we aren’t spirits, we aren't actually possessing the beasts. We were incarnated here as oxen to pay a great debt, and I knew someone would come to take us away, today. We mean no harm. My brother is just… like that.”

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Liliane looked at her husband, then at the ox, and nodded in understanding.

  “I know what a mischievous hothead can do, especially when they're bored. Or sad. Or stressed. Or too far from a meal. Don't we dear? “

  “I don't know what you're talking about, you old crone.”

  “We hope its behavior hasn’t soured our future relationship.” Dulci said, hopeful. “Can we still come with you?

  “If” Lazar said “and only if you promise your brother will be on its best behavior, ox won't be on the menu for the foreseeable future. I won't say this will be an easy journey, but I think you will have lots of fun. We’re not boring people. We’ll just need you to pull our carriage. Nothing too serious.”

  “I think we can easily do that. Daemons we are, but also mortal oxen. Very fine specimens, too.” replied the black ox, a bit proud.

  “And we may even help you with your incarnation issue, if you two are willing to bear with us for, let's say, fifty moons.” concluded Liliane.

  Brama looked at Dulci, and got back some of its cockyness. He mooed. “I think you will be pleased to have us pull your cart, then.” He huffed. “I'm glad you two are not so ignorant as to be unable to recognize our worth. I think, though, that our job should be more than fairly compensated, pulling a carriage is no small business…”

  In the meantime, Lazar, who was now grinding one of the knives on a whetstone that came out of nowhere, raised his head, smiling.

  “But!” continued the brown ox, somehow paler “we can talk about it after we know each other better, now, can't we?”

  — — —

  The wheels of the carriage rolled gently on the path which cut through the woods, with the cart almost not rocking when they hit some rocks. Gino really made a pretty fine job, and even helped the couple put the yoke on the oxen. Brama and Dulci mooed placidly, keeping their unhurried pace as they walked down the road, pulling the old couple that sat inside.

  Twilight was still a couple hours away, and with the speed they were coming at, they should arrive at Cranesworth before night fell and the Big sun rose for its brief appearance, as it did every day.

  The trip seemed to go along smoothly, Liliane was happily conversing with Thyme and Spice, who joined them after they left the Burnsey’s farm, and Lazar was deep into his manuscript, trying to write at least a couple paragraphs without much success, a couple torn parchment littering the floor.

  “Do you believe we did the right thing, joining them?” asked Bramaboxa, looking at its twin.

  “It was that, or the knife, brother, and I much prefer to live and pull than to die, don’t you?”

  “I don’t like the old man.” he grumbled.

  “I believe he doesn’t, either. You’re similar, you know?” stated Dulci, a hint of mirth in its voice.

  “In what way could a majestic daemon like me resemble an old coot like him?”

  “You’re both hot headed dumbasses.”

  “Moo moo.” the brown ox replied, upset.

  They kept on walking, but all of a sudden, they noticed an obstacle on their path had to slow down until they came to a stop: a big tree had fallen, blocking the path.

  The two elders got to the front of the carriage, and sat on the driver’s seat, taking the leashes that were currently floating in their hands.

  Looking more closely at the fallen tree, it seemed like it was cut, like someone had put it there purposefully to block the passage.

  While they were looking around to find a way to cross it, a chorus of laughs came from the nearby woods.

  “Get off the cart, get on the ground, and leave all your money on it!” a single, high pitched voice said.

  “Yeah, don't leave nothing in your pockets or we'll loot them from your corpses!”

  “Dear, is this a robbery?” asked Lazar to his wife.

  “An armed one, it seems. Oh, the memories…”

  “Should we take it seriously?”

  “Oh, absolutely. Young man, what should we do first, the getting down or the money part?” he bellowed loudly, so that everyone could hear him.

  “What?” The bandit was taken aback by the old man's words.

  “You said to get off, get down, and leave the money, but we could not possibly leave the money on the carriage - it's a carriage, not a cart - if we are on the ground, don't you think?”

  “Are you-”, the still hidden person said, “are you calling me stupid?”

  “I didn't, you did, I'm just saying that we can't possibly do what you asked”

  “Ok! Then leave the money on the cart and then come on the ground!”

  “Carriage. And, well, I'm afraid we can't, young man, and you should go back home before things escalate. We're in a hurry, you see, and would not want to be out when night comes. Unsavory sorts populate the nights.”

  A man jumped out of the woods, clad in leather, a clean shaved face, with a scar on the upper lip, and his hair hidden with a red bandana and a knife in his hand.

  “You are not going anywhere!” He licked the blade, a mad look in his face “I'm the dreaded Red Paul! I'll cut you to ribbons!”

  “Oh for the Numens’ sake,he really licked his knife”, said Brama out loud.

  “Ehw” replied Dulci.

  “Won't he catch something? Does this generation not fear the rust illness?”

  “I like this man. He seems fun”

  “I really should think we have someplace better to be and we're losing time.” Liliane interrupted the two beasts bickering, while the bandit had his jaw hit the ground seeing two talking animals. “Lads. Lasses. Ugh. You two, full speed ahead. Let's just run him over.”

  With a flourish, Liliane gestured towards the tree. The stump near it started to bulge and grew tendrils, which reconnected with the trunk, and put it back in its place, as if it was never cut at all. Brama and Dulci started to puff and kick the ground, before starting to rush towards the bandit at the center of the road.

  He cried out a high pitched scream and jumped out of the way as fast as he could, before the carriage rolled away, and just sat where he had fallen,watching the back of the vehicle, still in shock.

  Two other people get out of the woods, helped him up, and said, together-

  “What the actual fuck just happened?”