Her Danse Macbre

Chapter 7

Stepping into the school she found herself standing over the threshold looking within. Being that it was a weekend it should be empty except the dance committee. Instead she found the hall filled with staff and students as if it was a normal day, but something wasn’t right. Fionn followed behind her and frowned deeply. The students looked up at her when she entered, but there skins were pale, eyes giving off a reddish glow. Like zombies they shuffled and groaned softly.

Fionn reached out and took her hand, folding his fingers in hers and looked down at her “Shall we?” He asked. Heather nodded her head as the prince led her down the hall, whipping through the crowd with surprising ease. “So you and Ms. Pond…” Heather asked as they ran feeling a strange mix of emotions running through her. She wasn’t sure what exactly she expected. “That’s nice…she’s perfect.”

“You cannot expect more from a fae then perfection. As for my engagement it is arranged by my parents. I rather not be forced to take a bride.” He told her with a faint smile. The doors of the gymnasium were open clearly expecting them into a dim den. From ground to the rafters there were large vines clinging to the walls and the ceiling. The floor was covered in moss and leaves. Held high in the air were Maryanne and Sean, wrapped in vines. The decorations for the dance were strewn around, banners and lights had been pulled from the walls and ceiling. The only item that stood the onslaught was the disco ball.

“I knew we would meet again, thief. Your name has been written and etched into my history. I knew you would not stay dead. All of those years I have searched for the Onyx Eye, but knew you were the key to acquiring it.” Esus was a sight that sent a sickness in her very soul. Tall, garbed in a dark green robe the god stood there looking at her with a calm and sure expression on his face. “Don’t remember?” he asked calmly. “Well it doesn’t matter. Give me the Onyx Eye and I will release your friends. I will let you go.”

“What about the people in the town?! Will you release them?” Heather found herself asking, her eyes narrowing on the god, filled with fear.

“Oh this town is mine now. I will turn it into a sanctuary of my greatness. The townspeople will worship me and spread the glory of my pollen in the water, the very vessel of life!”

“This will not happen. We will stop you!” Fionn growled. His words were only met with a laugh as vines shot out heading toward them, but were hacked to pieces. Aldraven and the twins were standing holding weapons. Aldraven was holding a long staff with two prongs on the end. Curtis was holding a long sword with a golden handle and Jemma was holding a pair of long daggers. Esus smiled as three Eaglawolf came from the twisted vines snapping and growling. One of them shot at Jemma but was blocked by her father, shoving the staff between the jaws of the great beast. The other Eaglawolf knocked Curtis over grabbing him by his arm, shaking him like a rag doll.

“Give me the eye, girl!” Esus cried extending his hand toward Heather. “I WON’T” Heather screamed seeing her friends fighting these supernatural creatures, standing her ground despite the trembling in her body.

“FOOL” the god cried and sent a blast of strange energy at her. Before it could hit, Fionn had thrown himself on top of her, shielding her with his own body but lost his arm in the process. Blood ran down the corner of the prince’s mouth and the place where his right arm had been was a flap of his suit coat tatted in blood. Wincing he eased himself off her of her and looked down at her. “Run…Heather…Run!!” Heather looked around for her friends. “But- I can’t just leave!” she cried. “You can’t do anything for them!” he replied and grabbed her by her shirt and pulled her up, throwing her toward the double doors. She found herself stumbling through the doors and fell to her knees, bruising her skin through her jeans. The students surrounded her letting out groaning, reaching for her. Gathering all of her strength she placed her hands on the floor and forced herself to stand. Before the hands could reach out and grab her she made a sprint toward the bathroom.

A silence surrounded her other than the beat of her heart hammering in her chest. Coughing out she walked to one of the porcelain sinks and gripped the edge hard. She realized that she was covered in Fionn’s blood, but unwounded herself. Raising her eyes she looked at the mirror hearing the clicking, flickering of the lights. What gaze met her shocked her greatly. Instead of her own reflection meeting her gaze was the young man she had seen before, looking back at her. The dark haired and blue-eyed man looked back at her with a calm expression. It was Kel Evercrest, gazing back at her.

“Remember….Remember.” The image in the mirror told her over and over. She realized after a moment the one word was coming from her own lips, in her own voice. “Remember the past.” Closing her eyes she saw a white light behind her eyes.

Heather found herself seeing Kel and others standing along a hole dug in the ground. The thief was leaning forward slightly, his face pale leaning against a tree. They were in the middle of a vast forest with no obvious markers. The box with symbols on it that she recognized as the holder of the eye. Ropes were attached to it to lower it into the hole they dug. One of the red robed doctors was cutting Kel’s shirt off causing him to wince and shiver feverishly. His chest laid bare revealed black vines under his skin, causing the skin to rise slightly as it spread rapidly. He had survived the fight with Esus, having trapped the god under the earth. It didn’t leave him unscathed though. The blast had infected him with a darkness that was killing him. Fionn was bent down next to his friend.

“Isn’t there anything you can do? You’re a fae. Didn’t you swear to protect me? You’re not doing a good job” Kel commented with a pained chuckle. He had tricked the god under a rock that was stuck in a tree. Throwing a dagger he had loosened the rock and caused it to fall on the supernatural being. He was paying for his profession.

“My friend. There is nothing I can do for this wound. It is beyond my ability. This infection will kill you. This isn’t the end of this though. Esus was not killed. He is a god. I have sealed the box with a spell that only you can open the box. Esus will never get his hands on it unless…you come back in another time and place. If that happened I swear I will find you and help you. I swear it.” The scene suddenly got dark leaving the last thing she saw was the box being lowered into the hole.

Heather opened her eyes again and found herself in the bathroom again, the water overflowing in the sink and onto the floor. The vision had ended abruptly leaving her even more shaken then she had been before. Staring at the mirror her eyes only saw her own reflection looking back at her. The sound of Esus laughing insanely echoed through the school reminding her of why she came.

“Heather. Thank goodness you’re okay. I barely escaped…”Maryanne was standing in the bathroom doorway, holding her hand over one of her arms. Heather turned and ran to her friend and hugged her tightly. “How did you get free?” Maryanne hugged her and took a step back. “I don’t know. I woke up and I found myself on the gym floor covered in vines and greens. What’s going on?”

“It’s hard to explain, but I am glad you are alright. We need to go save the others.”