Heart and Soul

Wandering down unfamiliar streets I entrusted my life to the pink smoke that was floating in front of me. A few people stopped and stared as I went, staring in amusement at the soulless witch following a hunch.

I’d already seen more trolls, with their reptilian skin, but I’d also seen a couple of sprites. With big, black wings extended behind them, they looked more like angels of darkness than sprites. Their wings were tracing paper thin and marred with a series of intricate patterns in a slightly darker shade. Their bodies, long and thin, extended high above me, though their skin was grey like mine. Their eyes danced with power as they prowled down the street with straight backs and a distant gaze, they were intimidating, tiny giants in the world of the weird and wonderful.

By now I’d been walking for a good three hours and I was starting to tire. Madon had kindly packed me a picnic, so upon finding a stark clearing, with a simple iron bench wedged between two houses, I took a seat and began to eat.

I had not been sat there long, with the pink smoke ball floating in front of my face, when suddenly it began to move again. I stared after it in panic as it continued on down the street, much like it had done when I’d been walking along with it. Hurriedly throwing my belongings into my bag I ran after it, the sound of my feet hitting the cobbled stones, pounding around me as it echoed on the buildings.

It stopped for a moment and glowed slightly brighter for a second before going back to normal and coming back to circle around me. I bent over, arms on knees and caught my breath for a moment. Panic still lingered in my veins as my adrenaline began to fade. For a moment I thought I was going to be lost.

Standing up and taking a quick look around I scrapped the idea of stopping and decided to keep going, my only company floating on in the air beside me.

It was only two hours later that we’d made our way up the winding drive way, through dense forest and darkness to reach the top of a large hill. I lingered behind old trees, using their shade to cover my presence.

Tall iron gates separated me and my soul, I was sure of it. The ball of smoke seemed to glow brighter now, it was eager to keep going, but I knew I had to bide my time.

The gates appeared to be the only entrance to the large estate that was ringed by tall fences. Although I could really only see grass, in the distance I could see the shadow of a large building, the Boss’s home probably.

The gate appeared unmanned, but it also appeared to be heavily secured. Security cameras covered every angle and there was definitely a magical bonding of some kind on the metal, I could still see its glittering glow in the distant light of the orbs, even without my powers.

Two cars have already passed me, shuttling people in and out of the expansive estate. Each time they’d driven to the gate and waited patiently until they automatically slid open and allowed the car to pass through.

I’d already considered going over the top of the fence, but with spikes like razors adorning each post, I knew it was a fool’s errand. It seemed then, that I had two choices.

Either I could try and sneak up on a car and hide underneath or off the back of it, until I was into the grounds. Or I could trial the fairy dust and see if it could give me some kind of power that would help.
As ‘ninja-style’ as car hoping sounded, I knew that I would need practise, which was something I could not afford. Sighing in annoyance I unzipped my bag and pulled out the pouch of fairy dust Madon had given me. She’s instructed me to only use it in tiny amounts and to sprinkle it like I was a chef adding salt to a dish.

Drawing in an unsteady breath I delved two fingers into the pouch and grasped a pinch of dust between my fingers, looking up to the non-existent sky, begging for assurance that this would go well, I held my hand above my head and just like I’d seen chef’s on TV do, I sprinkled the dust over me, watching as it fell slowly through the air around me and caught in wispy strands of hair.

Resealing the pouch I stuffed it back into my bag and zipped it up, yanking it back onto my shoulder. For a moment nothing happened, deflated I began to consider sneaking up to a car. I pictured it, creeping up when the car began to slow, darting to the floor on one side and rolling underneath the car. Though would the car be far enough off of the ground? Unless it was a 4x4, but what if it wasn’t, I’d only seen town cars so far.

Ok, so more of crawl under the car, but on my back, or else I won’t be able to hold onto the car. Then I hold on – but hold onto what? A tree branch brushed past me, annoyed I pushed it away, but it sprang back and hit me, sending me into another branch.

Annoyed, I was about to start waging a war on nature, when I looked down. Far off, down below I could see the ground where I’d just been stood. My head snapped up, in minor panic, I was just level with the tops of the trees. For a moment the view stole my breath.

From here I could see the tops of the forest stretch out below me, ending abruptly at the road where I’d begun my ascension to the house. Beyond that I could see the hustle and bustle of the Underlands, it stretched into the far corners of shadows where the orbs couldn’t reach. From here it looked endless, but I knew it wasn’t. Somewhere out there was a wall, a wall that would shoot up from the ground and meet the earth at the top and then drive across the top of us all and meet another wall the other side.

I’d never felt so claustrophobic in such a big space before, suddenly I had the feeling of it being airless down here, surrounded by the darkness. I longed for the sun, for its warm embrace as sunlight shines down on your skin. The kind of heat that is a passing prayer, on a cold winter’s day.

Snapping out of my panicked Riviera I spun mid-flight, feeling weightless as I floated in the air. Ahead of me was the tall, intimidating building that seemed to radiate evil. Conscious that a floating person would attract attention quickly I decided to aim for what looked like a little edge, next to the giant stone gargoyles that lined each level of the building. This gargoyle, one level up, seemed to speak to me more than the others. Trusting instinct I took a quick look around, to check I couldn’t see anyone before I leant forwards into the wind and hoped it would make me move.

Half way across I was feeling proud of myself, having picked up the flying-thing surprisingly easily, considering it was something that I’d never thought I’d be doing. I’d tried before, I tried to use a spell to make me levitate, but I’d only succeeded in setting fire to the curtains, but that was a long time ago, long before my Mum died.

My body stilled slightly as the weight of her death leaned on me, before I could blink I was eating grass, my body hitting the floor hard. The weight of guilt had dragged me to earth, Madon had said the powers would be temperamental and emotion based, but I hadn’t expected it to hurt this much to fall. Pushing myself to my knees, I spat out strands of, was this fake grass? I leaned down, running my hands along it. Yes, it was. In fact, those trees, had they been real? I hadn’t seen any plant life down here before.

I turned and looked over my shoulder and my heart sunk into my stomach. Where there had been an endless forest, there was now nothing but blank, stony ground. I could see the gate and fence for what they were now, waist height metal, those razor tops not looking so sharp anymore.

Taking another look towards the ground, it was stones that I had fallen on now. Blood had begun to seep from grazes on my bruised skin. I looked up at the building in front me, unlike it’s outskirts it was as impressive as it had first looked.

I slowly pushed myself to my feet and spun helplessly in the darkness. I’d been tricked, all that I’d seen had been nothing but an illusion, designed to keep the powerless or weak out. If I’d had my powers I would have seen through the fake glamour, instead I’d just spent over an hour trying to break into a building I could have walked to, hiding behind a tree that didn’t exist.

Well they knew I was coming now. They’d known for an hour. If I’d had any sort of surprise element, it was now gone.

Gathering myself I swallowed hard, my eyes clouding for only a moment. Straightening my back I held my head up high and finished my walk towards the building. I could feel their eyes on me but I refused to back down in fear.

My heart beat was hammering inside of me, echoing through my mind as it went blank in apprehension.

Stalking towards the door, exuding a confidence I couldn’t match I grabbed the handle and twisted, yanking the groaning old door open.

I stepped no further than the hallway, but knew it was enough. Although the light was on in this room, all others were off. It hung above me, casting me in a circle of white, bright light.

My eyes protested a moment at the brightness in here, but even when they adjusted I could not see beyond the shadows that surrounded me. The room, circular in shape seemed to have endless doors emerging from it, a grand stair case wrapped around one half. I could sense someone here, somewhere. Had I had my powers, I’d have been able to pin point him to within a millimetre, as it was I had no idea what so ever.

Standing my ground and looking dead ahead, I still didn’t blink, shake or break, as I promised myself that I would not be the first one to speak, having read somewhere that a way to own a room is never to speak first.

Thankfully my enemy had a trend towards egotism and therefore could not keep his mouth shut much longer.

“Annika Windstrum, you look so like your mother.” His gravelly voice growled as he stepped into the light. My body recoiled in horror as I looked upon his features. A twisted set of evil eyes were out shone only by the off-white teeth that were sharpened to points. The guttural laugh that came from him sounded like a dying gargle. But it was not only the horror of his appearance that had made me recoil, it was his familiarity. Although slightly altered, his teeth never having looked so sharp and his eyes never so full of death, it was a face I recognised.

“Mr Leith?” I stammered, clutching my side as spasms of pain shot through it as my mind spiralled out of control. Every lesson, every conversation, every laugh shared with him, all that time. How did he know what my mother had looked like? He’d only been hired after she died – her death – that day – when I’d walked into the room, so young, so scared. Those eyes, those evil eyes, hadn’t I seen them before? Hadn’t I witnessed the death contained within them?

Retching I knew I couldn’t hold on much longer, nothing made sense and everything hurt as tears streaked down my cheeks, I felt ten years old again, ripped from normality and lacking the safety net of a parents love.

“Grab her.” Mr Leith – The Boss, whatever you want to call him, instructed as overbearing shadows swept forward and engulfed me.