Dark Dance

Margaret, Adelaide, Roselyn and I watched helplessly from the top of the jagged ridge as snow and fire collided. The collision was so intense that there was a tiny mushroom cloud. I heard Margaret sob and wanted to cry myself. I pushed down my grief and finally looked up.

Nathanael, the little earth rocker, was lounging against a smooth boulder watching Margaret. He seemed to like her heart-shattering cries. Standing on the edge of the cliff was Damon; his back was towards the sudden drop, his legs we spread wide in a military stance with his arms out stretched while gusts of wind rippled over him. He forced the air to rotate around us, making sure we wouldn’t take the easy way out and jump for it; the drop would kill us instantly.

I heard another sob and tried not to look, but had to. Jonathan caught Adelaide the instant we fell into the mirror. She didn’t even try to run. It wasn’t because she wanted to be with him, it was because she was totally confused. She was a deer caught in a pair of headlights. Needless to say, Jonathan held her tight against him. For every tear she cried he kissed her. With his control over floods, he slowly caught each tear; gathering around their feet was an increasing puddle.

“Don’t look so defeated, my sweet.” I whipped my head around. Garrett strode towards us, his sickening power rolled off of him making me want to gag. I slowly pushed Margaret and Roselyn behind me as Garret walked through the wall of air. We backed up as far as we could before we hit the wall behind us.

My eyes left Garrett and darted to Damon as he jumped off the ledge. I stared, dumbfounded, at the ledge. He was gone, he just jumped to his death. Before I could process that he was using his wind control, I heard Roselyn gasp and felt her disappear. Suddenly Damon appeared hovering in the air with a pale faced Roselyn, clutching at him and begging him not to drop her.

“Why are you doing this to us? We just lost eight sisters, we are useless to you. Only twelve princesses can break the cruse.” I would like to say I stood my ground as he strode towards me, then caressed my cheek, but that would be a lie. The wall was still preventing me and Margaret from moving any farther.

“Who said they were dead?” He asked coyly. I tried to jerk away as I felt my cheek swell, but he gripped my chin forcing me to meet his gaze. “We have waited centuries for you twelve; you really think we would kill you?”

“Well you’re torturing us; I can only assume that you plan on hurting us even more.” My jaw started to ache in pain as his control grew, he wanted me to feel his power, know that he owned me.

“This is how we love, our natural love. In time this will be second nature to you, to all of you. You just have to get used to it.” I glanced out of the corner of my eye to see each brother nodding their heads in agreement. Suddenly the ground shifted, I started to fall backwards only to be grabbed around the waist by Garrett. I watched in horror as the ground swallowed Margaret, her screams were cut off as her grave sealed over her.

I stood there at a loss of words. “What happp…” I stopped as I heard Margaret’s screams again. I twisted in Garrett’s arms, not realizing he was pulling me closer. Nathanael held Margaret over the ledge by her wrists; she was covered in dirt and tears.

“Why are you so afraid? If you were to fall the earth would never kill you. You are apart of me, the earth will protect you. Once the bonding ritual is completed, you may even develop control over it, but only to the extent to help me,” Nathanael said with complete faith. He believed we were theirs and there was nothing we could do about it.

“I don’t want to be yours. All I want is to go home and never come back,” Margaret sobbed as her body went limp. She dangled there like a wet noodle.

“Once the rituals are done we will go home and never come back to this cursed place.” Nathanael pulled her in and tugged her against him in a painful hug. She whimpered as he pulled her as close as possible, like he was trying to infuse her to him. “Mine.” She whimpered again, but this time in defeat.

I glanced at Adelaide; tears were still rolling down her cheeks. I think Jonathan was inducing it. Since there was no water this high up to flood anything, he was making her tear ducts overflow. I glanced at Roselyn; I thought she looked pale before. Now she looked transparent. I could see her mouth open as if she was screaming, but Damon was using the wind to carry her voice away.

All three of my sisters slowly stopped fighting and went limp. They weren’t used to this kind of torture, they wanted an end, and the princes were that end. I felt like I failed my sisters. I am the oldest and I couldn’t protect them.

As I stood there worrying about my sisters, I suddenly felt my stomach cramp, and my sides burned with the need to be scratched. The need was so overwhelming that I forgot Garrett and tried to scratch my sides.

He grabbed my arms and held them firm and whispered in my ear, “No scratching. It’s just a side effect. It will go away… in time.” I rolled my head against his chest and looked up. All my common sense was gone, all I wanted was relief.

“But it itches,” I whined. He smiled a crooked smile. “Make it stop,” I whined again. I sounded like a little kid. I rubbed against him trying to bring relief to my itchy body, but he pulled me away.

“Say you’ll do the bonding ritual and relief will come.” My common sense may be gone but somewhere deep inside me something was shouting for me to resist. I shook my head, no. “Your sisters are broken, they are doing the ritual,” I glanced at them to see that they were no longer fighting, “just say yes, and relief will come.” I tried to scratch again but he wouldn’t let me. “Say yes,” he demanded.

“Fine yes, just make it stop.” As soon as the words left my mouth he kissed my lips. Suddenly the pain was gone, but my mind was back, and I was hitting myself for how weak I was.

***

Even though I said yes, I still fought him, I even tried to encourage the others to fight but they were broken. The ridge slowly fell back down to the forest level. All around us stood tall bushy trees. Some were such a dark green they were black, while others were brown and gnarly. The forest I once loved was twisted and horrible.

Instead of dragging us toward the little mushroom, Garrett led us away from it. As the gnarled forest dissipated we came upon a river, we followed it up a hill. On top of the hill were twelve pillars of smooth obsidian stone, attached to eight of the twelve were my others sisters. Some hung there limply, while others struggled to get free.

As Garrett led me towards Leila I tried to rip out of his grasp. I must’ve looked like I was having a seizure. I got one arm free only to start sneezing like pepper was being shoved up my nose.

“Stop now, you said yes. Live with your decision,” Garrett hissed in my ear as he twisted my arm back. He tried to force me to walk but I sat down like a sack of potatoes, so he started to drag me. As I was dragged towards the pillars across from Leila and next to Priscilla, I spotted the brass ball I pocketed earlier. I looked at Leila and met her eyes. She was the closest to it. Maybe there was hope after all.