The Sacrifice

I stared at the stars glistening in the deep night sky. The moon shone high above with not a single cloud in sight. It might’ve been pleasant. I continue to stare up into the sky, tears rolling silently down my cheek. 

I call out to the stars, “Please, someone, anyone. Please help me.” My voice drops to a whisper. “I will give anything. Do anything. Just, please, save him.” I let my head fall as I watch a single tear drip off my cheek and land on my hand gripping the banister. I am glad he can’t hear me. I don’t want him to witness my weakness. I look back up at the stars.

 “Please, if there are any angels or anything listening, help me!” Silence is my only answer.

“Calm down, will you? Jeez. You’re giving me a headache with all that yelling,” a voice says from behind me. I turn to the owner of the sarcastic voice to see a man standing near the door. He is tall and slim, with spiky black hair and piercing black eyes. At first, I thought they were just two holes, but I see a slight glint in them. He sends me a devilish smirk and I notice the red crescent on his neck.

“I take it you aren’t an angel?” I already know the answer. I doubt an angel would wear a black leather jacket and black jeans. He lets out a quick laugh before coming towards me so fast my eyes could barely keep up. I hold my breath and take a step back.

“No definitely not. You can call me Lazarus.” He looks at me with that same strange smile. He continues. “I am here to help you out, that is what you wanted, isn’t it?” He rests his elbow on my shoulder, I am not sure what to say but silence won’t save Thomas.

“How can you help me?” I ask him as casually as I can and nudge his shoulder off me. 

“Well your partner in there isn’t doing so good, is he? He’s dying. I can sense it, probably doesn’t have much time left.” I feel the tears coming back up, but I don’t want to show weakness in front of a demon. “I can help you.” He paces about the balcony like a child who can’t wait to go out and play. “Your other half is dying of a very rare and deadly disease, but I know of something that can make him better.” He says, singing the last part.

“Really? What would you want in return? I will give you anything.” His grin grows and I fear that’s exactly what he wanted to hear.

“What I wish in return is of no concern right now, your partner doesn’t have much time left.” I remember Thomas, laying in bed, dripping in sweat and barely conscious. I will do anything to make sure he lives, and I have a feeling Lazarus knows this. He continues, still pacing about. “There is a flower. A very special flower. It grows only at the elder tree and can cure anything. Although it is not easy to get.” A flower? Is that all it will take? I feel a spark of hope. Maybe there is a chance I can save him.

“Fine, whatever your price I will give it. How do I reach this elder tree?” I take a step closer to the demon and he stops pacing and looks at me.

“Getting there isn’t the problem. The flower is protected by a powerful being. She will try and stop you. You must convince her you are worthy of the flower’s gifts.” He suddenly looks serious, almost worried. 

“But how do I – “ 

“No there’s no time for any more questions. If you want to save your partner, you must go now.” As he says the final words, he raises his hand and in it a black orb appears. The demon comes towards me. I shut my eyes.

I slowly open my eyes again and notice I am no longer on my balcony. Lazarus is gone too. I must be in the forest that Lazarus mentioned, I can hear birds and other animals chatting to each other. I have no idea where I am supposed to be going but I just pick a direction and head that way. The forest is dense and hard to navigate through, the ground is covered in grass with the odd flower growing. As I wander through the forest my thoughts drift to Thomas. We have been through so much together but nothing like this. If only he had stayed away from the plant like I warned him, none of this would’ve happened. I snicker to myself, it’s ironic that a flower is my last hope to save Thomas when it was a flower that caused it in the first place. My thoughts are cut short as I hear a deep growl coming from the side of me while I squeeze past some trees. I can barely see past the blanket of branches and leaves, but I get the sense that whatever that was it didn’t come to say hello. 

I quickly slip past the trees and get a firm footing on the ground. I look around but cannot see anything, I notice the forest has gone strangely silent. As I begin to think the creature has gone, I hear the snap of a branch just in front of me and that’s when I see it. Bright yellow eyes staring at me from behind a group of trees, my heart begins to beat loudly, and I can feel droplets of sweat forming on my forehead. I begin to take a step back and as I do a large wolf steps out, its sharp fangs in full view. I can hear movement and snarls coming from all around me and I realise this wolf is not alone. 

I don’t waste any time; I turn around and sprint as fast as I can from the beast. I try to twist and turn around as many trees as I can since I know I won’t be able to outrun the wolf. I chance a glance behind me and see the wolf sprinting towards me so closely I can feel its breath on my neck, I look forward again and trip on a tree root sticking out of the ground. I quickly turn around to face the wolf, waiting for it to attack. I think of Thomas and I can’t believe I am going to fail when I am so close. The wolf gets close, but then, it suddenly stops just before the spot that I tripped at. It looks at me and snarls before turning back and disappearing into the shadows. 

I stare into the trees, confused. Why did it just leave? I slowly stand up, my legs wobbling from the sudden adrenaline rush, and I look around. I notice a small light coming from behind a bush, I decide to head towards it. I crawl through the bush and quickly find myself stepping out into an open land surrounded by a wall of trees. It’s beautiful. I look around at the fireflies floating around, giving out a small glow. I see a large lake in the middle and in the centre, there is a large tree, bigger than any of the others. Its think trunk is as white as snow and it stretched higher than I can see. 

As I am admiring the tree, I notice that I am not alone. Standing, or more of floating, beside the tree is a naked woman. She is floating just slightly above the water with tree roots curled around her, her long, green hair floating around her as if she was underwater. She is staring right at me, her eyes like small orbs of pure light. I step forward timidly.

“Um, hello. I am looking for – “ 

“I know what you are looking for.” She sounds a lot older than she looks, she speaks with power behind her voice. The woman raises her hand slightly and a ball of water rises and swirls in the air beside her. I notice inside is a flower, this must be the one I need. “You want the elder tree’s flower. Many mortals come here, seeking the curative powers of the flower but few get it. You shouldn’t have come here, there are many dangerous creatures lurking in this forest.” Her eyes never once look away from me and I suddenly feel very insecure.

“Yes, I know. I was almost killed by a wolf while trying to find this place, but it suddenly stopped and left.” My voice was shakier than I had hoped but who can blame me? It had been some day.

“There is a barrier near the entrance to this place that stop any creatures from the forest wondering in. You must’ve made it past before it got to you.” She said simply. She began to move closer, the water barely moving below her. Once she was closer, I could feel the power that emanated from her. “I am The Guardian. I look over the elder tree and its flower. I am also the one to decide whether or not someone is worthy of receiving the flower or not. So, a test for you. I take it there is someone you wish to help?”

“Uh, yes. My partner, Thomas. He is gravely ill, and this flower is my last chance to save him.”

“So how far are you willing to go? Would you be willing to take a life?” She stares blankly at me and before I can answer I see the water move again. It begins to rise as stream of water flows from the lake and lands beside us before disappearing. My eyes widen as I see a girl in its place. She looks terrified, her clothes dirty and torn, her long, brown hair scrunched up into a messy bun. 

I turn and look back at The Guardian.

“This woman is nothing. A stranger. Are you willing to exchange her life for the flower?” A tree root bursts from the ground beside us and stops, I notice the end of it is sharp. “I will kill her. You can either stop me but lose the flower. Or, you can let her die and I will give you the flower.” I am stunned. I look at her face to see if she is kidding but I don’t think she is one for humour. In fact, her face looks almost bored.

I have no idea what to say. I can hear the stranger beside me crying softly to herself. I would do anything if it meant saving Thomas, but allowing some innocent person to die? I am not too sure. Before I can think of my answer, I see the tree root move and dart towards the woman. I step in front of the woman and the tree root stops just before my chest. I sigh a breath of relief and look up at The Guardian.

“I would do anything for Thomas. I would die for him, but killing an innocent person? Thomas would never want that to be how he is able to live, and I wouldn’t either. I will find another way to save him.” The Guardian laughs and with a wave of her hand the woman turns into a puddle of water before vanishing. I stare, shocked, at the now empty spot where the woman had stood.

“Congratulations. You passed the test.” She smiles at me, suddenly looking kinder than earlier.

“What? I don’t understand.”

“You see, that woman was simply an illusion. I had to test if you were truly wanting the flower for the right reasons. This flower can cure anyone and anything, but not without a price. To give life it first must take life. You must be prepared to sacrifice yourself for your love, I see now that you are willing to give your life, even for a stranger.” She waves her hand and the orb of water floats over to me. “You may take the flower. Place it in a bowl of hot water and then breathe in the fumes it emits. Once you’ve done that you must breathe the fumes back out and into Thomas. Then have him drink the water and he will heal.” 

I take the flower and thank The Guardian for her help. “Good luck” I hear before I am suddenly transported back to the house. I am ready.

I do as The Guardian instructed and as I breathe in the steam, I feel my heart slow and my strength weaken before being drained as I blow it back out to Thomas. As I get him to drink the water, I can see the change in him almost immediately. His skin gains its colour back as his breathing becomes stronger. 

“Well done. I am glad you made it back.” I turn to see Lazarus standing there smirking, he looks down at Thomas. “He will be fine now.”

“So, time to confess. What is it you get from this? I doubt you did it from the kindness of your heart.” I say to him bluntly, I may as well find out now. I can feel my life waning.

Lazarus puts his hand on his chest as if he was offended. “Ok fine. What I want, is you. Or more specifically, your soul. After you die you will come with me to the underworld where you will act as my servant.” He says looking at his nails as if bored of the conversation. “Oh, and you already agreed earlier when you said you would do anything.” 

“So, I have to be stuck serving you for eternity?” I can’t believe it. I hoped me and Thomas could be together after this but clearly that is not going to happen. 

“Don’t look so glum. I may be a demon, but I am not heartless, you will be well treated. Like a friend more than anything. Also, I can keep tabs on Thomas and let you know how he’s doing.” I look at him and can tell he means it. Still though, it isn’t how I hoped this would end.

I get a sudden pain in my chest and drop to the floor. I can feel myself dying. I gather some strength and stand back up. I say a goodbye to Thomas and kiss his forehead. “I am so glad that at the very least, you will live on.” 

I head out to the balcony and lay on my back. Lazarus has left already. Probably allowing my final moments to be alone. I can feel myself slip away, my body grows heavy and my spirit weakens. I stare up at the stars one last time and a small tear falls down my cheek, but this time it is a happy tear as I know I managed to save Thomas. That’s all I wanted in the end. I see the stars sparkling in the sky and then everything goes dark.