THE DREAMSCAPE : THE EMBERS OF CHANGE

I fidget uneasily, feeling the wet grass tingle my feet. Siren couldn’t have found out anything, could she? The whole of the Dreamscape is in an uproar, of course, and all the Fairies are suspicious as hell. Maybe one of them saw… No. Of course not. This is probably about Celeste’s death and Celeste’s death only. Siren has procured some new information and she wants to discuss it with everyone. Or maybe the new information is that one of the Guardians of Dreamscape has a human girl hidden away in her cottage. A chill runs down my spine at the thought. If Siren has that information it would be better for me and the girl to simply jump into one of the Vortexes like Celeste and end our life. It may be a cowardly thing to do but the alternative was worse. So much worse. Cool it! I’m pretty sure every single thing I’m thinking is showing on my face and if the Siren gets so much as an inkling… “Rosa…Our renowned eighth and youngest Guardian…”  Siren’s icy drawl slices through my thoughts with the sharpness of a knife. Like always, I get the sensation that she doesn’t like me at all. Why? I have no idea.  “We are all eagerly waiting to hear your thoughts on recent events. More precisely on my theory that humans are responsible for the death of one of our most promising and talented Fairies.” I sense the gaze of the other seven guardians on me, most of them hostile. The Council is on Siren’s side, of course. And in their eyes, I’m the naïve i***t, who is thoughtlessly arguing with their great leader. That’s the problem though. I see a dark rotten thing where they see goodness.  When I fail to say anything, her pale blue eyes fix on me with increased intensity. The rage simmering beneath their surface hits me like a blizzard. All of a sudden, I was sure she wants me grey and cold and dead. What! That’s total crap! You’re being overdramatic. “Rosa? Is your silence a way of showing you do not wish to join us in inflicting the proper punishment on the humans for their recent crime?” “We have no evidence that humans even did anything!” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. The effect is immediate. There is a glint of satisfaction in Siren’s eyes.  Cool wind loosens a long strand of her silver-white hair from the carefully set bun. Her glowing white dress glows brighter. Her shimmering dragonfly-like wings flap just a little bit faster, as she c***s her head, regarding me intently. The trees of the Sacred Wood starts to whisper. Traitor….Traitor…Traitor… For a moment I don’t know what to say. The rational part of my brain tells me that I should be very afraid. But a reckless part of me meets the Siren’s eyes with a defiant glare – Amber against blue, Fire against ice. “Your words alone do not decide what makes a traitor,” I say and immediately realize the mistake I made. I realize it just before I see the slight curl of Siren’s lips. “Oh…What have we here? Is that compassion I detect?” Siren snorts. She looks as if the very concept disgusts her. I was about to snap right back when I feel a cool hand on my arm. “Do you have a death wish?” Even before I look at him, I sense the fury in his voice. Knight…I turn towards him, quite ready to pick a fight. “Am I supposed to stand here and let her call me a traitor and question my loyalty to our people?” I hiss at him. Which was probably equally as foolish as engaging in a war of words with Siren. Knight is Siren’s right hand after all. And that had always mattered to him more than our friendship. Even going as far as voting against my placement as Guardian. “You are supposed to follow reason and logic and not let your emotions cloud your judgment!” He says urgently. The pure panic in his voice sets me on edge even further. You are a rat caught in a trap dear. Trying to run can only bring more pain. It takes all my effort to swallow down the scream that rises in my throat. I close my eyes, make a fist with my trembling hands. That voice…No…I can’t let her in my head. No…No…No… Pain lights up every nerve of my body. Still, I do not make the slightest sound. Tears stream down my eyes but I do not wipe them away. I simply stare at Siren. Time passes in a concert of hurt, increasing in intensity every second. The only reality for me becomes a single thought. Get out of my head! Suddenly everything stops. I am not a fool to presume that it was my doing. She chose to stop. She meant not to kill me today. And that was somehow even more terrifying. “A Guardian’s greatest asset is the power to endure, to sacrifice for the good of our people. You have that in abundance dear Rosa…How unfortunate that you chose to utilize that for an inferior cause. For…” Do not speak the rest! Do not! All my strength drains out of me and I fall onto the grass. No one moves to support me. “A mere human child!” The killing blow… I can imagine the smirk on her face. The satisfaction she must be feeling to inflict this punishment onto me. No…Not to me…Oh no… “Kindness is not a thing to be distributed carelessly my dear Rosa…You made a mistake.” I am hardly paying attention to her. Beg, grovel, do anything Siren asked…What do I have to do to make sure that she is spared? Lavender… The pale, half-starved seven-year-old child I found in the borders of the Dreamscape? Crying…Cold…Covered in bruises… “You took the barrier down. You used your magic to shield her. You gave humans a free pass into our land Rosa… And one of them killed Celeste.” “A child…” My strength fades away like the last bit of sand in an hourglass. “Just a child…” And the world goes black.   When I come to, everything is a blur. The trees are screaming. Dust…Ashes…Dust…Ashes… “Look up!” Someone pulls me up to my feet without an ounce of gentleness. And I see it. No fight remains in me to scream. Just resignation. Just tears. Just failure Lavender stands next to Siren. Her curious eyes scan the Goddess-like figure before her. She is smiling… “It’s pretty...The trees are pretty.” Tears prick my eyes. “You promise not to hurt Rosa?” No…No… I try to speak but then I realize my voice is gone. Of course…Siren always takes away the ability to speak before her twisted punishments. “I do…” Unrestrained tears flow down my cheeks. I try to go to Lavender, to at least comfort her but then I find that I can’t move. “I’m sorry for getting you into trouble.” Lavender runs her hand through her pretty brown curls. Her huge eyes smile at me more than her lips. “You are kind.” “I regret what must happen,” Siren says. She almost sounds sincere. She lays a hand on the child’s shoulder. “I will put you to sleep now. You will be thrown into the same Vortex in which Celeste’s body was found. You are being punished as an instigator for the crime after giving a full confession. Do you have any last words?” “Let her go...” Lavender points at me. Siren puts a hand on the child’s head and closes her eyes. I watch as Lavender’s eyes flutter closed, her knees give way and she falls helplessly into Siren’s arms. Innocent…Innocent… Absurdly, as Siren carries her away, the one thing my gaze stays on is a fleck of dirt on her little red polka-dotted white dress. IT IS DIRTY IT IS DIRTY IT IS DIRTY Minutes later, Siren returns. I realize I can move again. I know my voice has returned as well. But all I can do is fall to my knees. I wait for grief to take over. For anger to blaze. But it’s all numbness. Emptiness…Like I never will feel again. Never…