Chapter 10 - ANASTASIA
1074 Words
The sunlight pricks at my eyes like tiny needles. Colours assault my eyes. As I walk, taking in the serene air and flowery scent of the side of the woods that belong to the Fairies, I feel a sense of dizziness, of disorientation. I had dreamed of this moment for many many years. Coming back, challenging Siren, claiming my place in my rightful home…
Home…
There was something so detached about the word now. The yearning, the pain that I once felt in every fibre of my being was gone. The warmth I expected to flood my body as I stepped into the world of the Fairies again did not come. Even my name felt alien as I walked towards the Vortex.
The big gaping hole in the ground appeared to leer at me. Air, twisted around it, grey and dark, like a tornado, reaching out hungrily, for those who would dare defy it and cross into the Dreamscape. The tremendous magic at its core growls as I approach and I feel it. The hatred, the wanting to destroy everything in its path…
“This is Ana-“ I stop abruptly as the wind around me grows stronger. Obviously, the Siren doesn’t know who I am. “The Head of the Witches, answering the summons of the Siren, alone.”
The growling subsides, not without hesitation. The air stops spinning. The gaping hole closes in front of my eyes.
“You are to proceed directly to the Siren’s palace. You are not supposed to stop anywhere or talk to anyone. Disobey and the truce is off” The voice that comes from the depth of the Vortex is hoarse and cruel. As if it senses me for who I am and does not like it.
The hell with it! If it does not see Siren for who she is…Why should it bother me that it does not like me?
I step in. The air glittered with magic, making me shield my eyes. Giant flowers tower over me. Each, I knew housed a young fairy in the making. The flower bloomed and they stepped out, into the warm, colourful world that awaited them…Until…
Keep walking!
It isn’t long before I see it. The Academy. The pale pink building so large that it appears to kiss the sky. It’s stained glass windows were so bright that they seem to glare down at the Fairies below, reminding them that the slightest mistake would cost them. They would be thrown out, stripped of their Magic…Left to die…
Unless the Head Witch found you and offered you life in exchange for becoming a monster. Funny how most of the rejects of Siren’s wonderland took that offer.
“Follow me.”
The cold of a sword touches my back. He doesn’t bother to introduce himself but I know who he is. Knight. The weapon that executes Siren’s will.
“She expects me to join her fight against humans when she literally has a sword at my back. I see nothing’s changed for my favourite fairy in the Dreamscape.”
“It would be in the benefit of your health if you kept talking to a minimum.” He nudges me forward. “You are an unwanted guest. An alliance merely formed because there is no other option.”
“Ah…Do not push my luck, as Siren would say. The thing is boy, I don’t care that much for what she says.”
He freezes. I can feel both his anger and his frustration at being unable to release his anger.
“The next time you talk to me that way will be the last time you talk.”
“Why next time?” I turn swiftly, looking right into his blue eyes. “Why not cut me down right now for defiance? I am a monster after all…Who would say you were in the wrong?”
“You may be a monster whose morals can sink no lower but I am not. You are here because of Siren’s invitation and I respect her wishes.”
“In other words, you have no mind of your own.” I laugh. “Pity…Wrong opinions are better than no opinions at all.”
I don’t know why on earth I am pushing his buttons. Why I am so annoyed and angry at his foolish loyalty. Is it because he is simply being an ignorant fool or is there a twinge of jealousy in me? That she has been able to inspire such devotion whereas I… The only thing I see in the eyes of everybody I am trying to protect is fear.
“Some people are worth following.” His voice is calm but I sense a sea of emotions beneath it. “I don’t expect you to understand.
“Oh! I understand just fine.” I say “What you don’t understand seems to be that…Sometimes demons disguise themselves as angels.”
“We don’t need Glimmer to look at ourselves in the mirror.” The corners of his lips twitch a bit as he grips his sword tighter. “I know that I am not vile, that everything I have done is for the good.”
“The difference, boy, is that you need to contemplate what you see in the mirror and convince yourself that you are all things right and wise. Me…I do not need a mirror.” I pause, watching the flicker of surprise on his face. “I know exactly what I am and why I am. Did you ever hear me deny that I am a monster?”
“It is as if you wear all the destruction and blood like a badge of honour.” He scoffs. “I don’t know why I’m even surprised. It’s not as if I expected any better…”
“If you had to choose, would you rather kill to survive or die? If the only way to save the world to s*******r an innocent child?”
“I would never!” His voice rose. “I would never taint my sword with the blood of an innocent.”
I can’t help but burst into laughter. “You are a hypocrite as well. Why am I not surprised…”
There is a long pause as he glares at me, his face red. It is then that I see it, the guilt that he is trying to hide.
“Turn around and walk.” He says curtly.
“You know…” I say, turning around. “From the way you are behaving, it’s as if you hold me responsible for the terrible terrible thing you did.”
I can feel his shock, his confusion…
A little more fuel to the fire…
“Who do you think is worse, boy? A monster feeding to survive or an angel that believes that she alone holds the right to deliver ultimate justice?”
I get no answer. But the tip of his sword shakes badly as he presses it anew at my back.
- Writer
